The head of the United Nations inquiry into the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri presented his report to Secretary-General Kofi Annan on Thursday.

The report by German prosecutor Detlev Mehlis, appointed by Annan in June to head the UN International Independent Investigation Commission (UNIIIC), will be transmitted to the Security Council, on Friday morning.

UN spokesman Stephanie Dujarric told reporters that the report will be made public after it is handed over to the Security Council and the Lebanese authorities.

He said that after reading the report, Annan will decide whether to request the Security Council to extend the mandate of the investigation commission.

Hariri's assassination on Feb. 19 in a bomb attack, which also killed 20 others, led to renewed calls for the withdrawal of all Syrian troops and intelligence agents to end their presence in Lebanon since the early stages of the country's 1975-1990 civil war. Syria withdrew its troops from its smaller neighbor in April.

Mehlis carried out intensive investigations in both Lebanon and Syria. Last month, he named the heads of Lebanese intelligence and security agencies as suspects.

Mehlis will brief the council on the investigation next Tuesday.

Source: Xinhua