The U.N. Security Council has directed U.N. chief Kofi Annan to start talks with Lebanon on a court to try suspects for last year's murder of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri.
The Council unanimously adopted a U.S. and British-sponsored resolution Wednesday endorsing Mr. Annan's recent report calling for an international court to prosecute suspects in the case.
Senior official in Lebanon's Foreign Ministry, Boutros Assaker said the unanimous vote and Lebanon's consensus on the issue are signs of the international community's strong desire to punish those involved in Mr. Hariri's death.
A U.N. commission has found evidence implicating Lebanese and Syrian officials in the February 2005 bomb blast that killed Mr. Hariri.
Syria has repeatedly denied involvement in the murder.