The UN Security Council tonight called for an urgent report from Secretary-General Kofi Annan on the "circumstances, causes and consequences" of former Lebanese Prime Minister, Mr al-Hariri's assassination yesterday.
A statement approved by all 15 council members called on the Lebanese government "to bring to justice the perpetrators, organisers and sponsors of this heinous terrorist act".
The council expressed grave concern at the murder's possible impact on the ongoing efforts of the Lebanese people to solidify democracy and stressed that the "terrorist act" must not jeopardise upcoming parliamentary elections.
"The Security Council is concerned by the potential for further destabilisation of Lebanon , and expresses hope that the Lebanese people will be able to emerge from this terrible event united, and to use peaceful means in support of their long-standing national aspiration to full sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity," the statement said.
The original French-drafted text referred directly to a September 2 Security Council resolution demanding that Syria withdraw its remaining 15,000 troops from Lebanon . But Britain's UN Ambassador Emyr Jones Parry said the reference was dropped to gain support from all council members.
The final statement dropped the resolution's number, 1559, but still referred quite specifically to it.
"The Security Council reaffirms its previous calls upon all parties concerned to cooperate fully and urgently with the Security Council for the full implementation of all relevant resolutions concerning the restoration of the territorial integrity, full sovereignty and political independence of Lebanon ," the presidential statement said.
US deputy ambassador Anne Patterson urged Syria to pull out its troops from Lebanon and said Washington would be following up with Mr Annan immediately to see how the statement is going to be implemented.
"The United States is calling on Syria to comply immediately with the provisions of resolution 1559, and that is totally consistent with the statement the Security Council has just passed," she said.
Asked whether the US blamed Syria for Mr Hariri's assassination, Ms Patterson replied: "We don't know who did this horrible act at this point, but let it be clear that the message (from) the council is that other countries should get out of Lebanese affairs."
She became angry when a reporter asked whether the US was politicising the assassination by referring to 1559.
"Well good grief, a man just got blown up in downtown Beirut in the middle of the day and hundreds of people have been injured," Ms Patterson shot back.
"This is not a political act on our part and what I think that you need to take on board here is that the Security Council has a long history of engagement on this issue. The message has been very consistent -m that other countries need to stop interfering in Lebanon ."
Earlier, the US President George W. Bush recalled the American ambassador in Syria for urgent consultations following the killing of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik al-Hariri in Beirut.
The move is seen as a sign of US displeasure over Syria's military presence in Lebanon, which the White House cited yesterday in condemning the assassination of Hariri.
Bush has been steadily stepping up diplomatic pressure on Damascus for months and is considering imposing new sanctions.
State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said Bush summoned Ambassador Margaret Scobey back to the United States for "urgent consultations."
The White House has been consulting with the UN Security Council about taking punitive measures against those responsible for the killing in Beirut.
"It's too early to know who was responsible for this attack," White House spokesman Scott McClellan told reporters.
But he said: "Syria's presence in Lebanon is a destabilizing force. The terrorist attack further underscores the importance of letting the Lebanese people control their future."
Washington has been warning Syria for months that it may face new sanctions for allegedly supporting Palestinian militants and allowing money and arms to flow to insurgents in Iraq.