DAMASCUS, March 9 (Xinhuanet) -- Chief UN investigator Serge Brammertz will visit Syria soon and is expected to meet figures suspected of involvement in the killing of Lebanese ex-premier Rafik Hariri, the independent Syria-News.com website reported on Thursday.

    "Serge Brammertz, head of the International Investigation Commission, will visit Syria within the next four days", the report quoted well-informed sources as saying.

    "The visit will be very important for Syria, because it will determine what Brammertz is going to say about Syrian cooperation with the investigation commission in his expected report on 15 March", Marwan Kabalan, a political analyst, was quoted as saying.

    "Brammertz will meet figures whom (former chief investigator Detlev) Mehlis considered as suspects in his previous report", said Kabalan.

    "The meeting will be an advanced step to activate an agreement reached between Brammertz and Syria on the process of the investigation in the next stage", he added.

    Kabalan expected the visit to take place on Friday at most, adding that he had no idea whether Brammertz would meet President Bashar Al-Assad and his deputy, former foreign minister, Farouk Al-Shara.

    Brammertz paid his first visit to Syria last month to discuss "effective means" in carrying out the probe, the official SANA news agency reported.

    According to a report of the pan-Arab Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper on Monday, Syria had reached a confidential agreement with the UN commission.

    "We have reached a confidential agreement and do not want to reveal any details at this time out of consideration for the investigation and its integrity," Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Muallem was quoted as saying in an exclusive statement to Asharqal Awsat.

    "The investigation is carrying on in accordance with the understandings reached by the two sides," an informed source told Xinhua in Damascus, who asked not to be named.

    "They have reached an agreement that the investigation should be carried out behind closed doors and far away from the spotlight," the source added.

    Syria has been under intense international pressure following the killing of Hariri last February in a massive truck bombing. Many Lebanese believed Damascus was behind Hariri's death.

    Syria denied any role but was forced to withdraw its troops from its smaller neighbor last April.

    The U.N. Security Council adopted Resolution 1636 last October, demanding full Syrian cooperation with the probe and threatening unspecified further action if Damascus fails to heed the call.

    Syria refused requests by former UN chief investigator Detlev Mehlis to question President Bashar al-Assad, but allowed security officials to be questioned in Vienna.

    In two interim reports, Mehlis implicated senior Syrian and Lebanese officials in the killing. Four Lebanese generals are currently under arrest in Lebanon. Enditem