UN special envoy Terje Roed-Larsen is set to release his report on disarming Palestinian militias, but tensions are growing over what might be in the Hariri assassination report.

Beirut (AsiaNews/Agencies) – US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice met last night with UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan to discuss Lebanon and Syria whilst rumours fly over eventual US and French motions against Syria in the United Nations. At the same time, some 10,000 Lebanese soldiers and police officers have been deployed in Beirut and Mount Lebanon, and UN Beirut Media Centre director Najib Freji is moved for "security reasons". All this suggests that events and political manoeuvring are accelerating as Friday, October 21—scheduled date for the release of the UN Commission report on former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri assassination—draws nearer.

Meanwhile, UN special envoy Terjé Roed-Larsen is scheduled today to brief Mr Annan on the implementation of Security Council Resolution 1559, which, among other things, calls for the disarming of Palestinian militias and Hizbollah.

According to Lebanese daily An-Nahar, Terje Roed-Larsen found evidence that Syria violated Resolution 1559 when it shipped weapons to pro-Syrian Palestinian groups in Lebanon.

Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Siniora himself yesterday spoke about the issue of disarming Palestinian militias saying that it was a decades-old problem that new government was handling through dialogue and on which it was making progress.

Meanwhile, expectations and concerns are growing over what the Mehlis report might say. According to German weekly Stern, top "Syrian personalities" are said to be involved in the Hariri murder. Leading the list is A'sif Shawkat, brother-in-law of Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad, and General Roustom Ghazalé, head of Syrian Military intelligence in Lebanon.

Another Lebanese daily, L'Orient, writes that "the Damascus is in the UN's sight", whilst Syria's government-controlled press reports that the UN Security Council might extend the mandate of the commission of investigation headed by German prosecutor Detlev Mehlis.

In a statement released this morning in Beirut, Lebanon's interim Defence Minister Yaacub Sarraf announced that, starting tonight, all weapons permits are suspended till further notice. Anyone found in possession of weapons in violation of the ban will be prosecuted.

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