UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - Pakistan's new prime minister raised with the United Nations on Wednesday the possibility of the world body investigating the assassination of political leader Benazir Bhutto, a U.N. spokeswoman said.
The premier, Yousaf Raza Gilani, raised the issue when U.N.Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon telephoned him to congratulatehim on his appointment, Ban's spokeswoman Michele Montas said.
Ban told Gilani the United Nations would need a formalrequest from Pakistan before considering the matter and Gilanisaid a resolution by Pakistan's parliament would be the firststep, Montas told reporters.
Bhutto, leader of the Pakistan People's Party and a formerprime minister, was killed in a car bomb explosion on December27 after a rally in Rawalpindi. Pakistan accused al Qaeda ofkilling her.
"The secretary-general said ... that the U.N. cannot doanything unless we receive a formal request from thegovernment," Montas said.
Ban himself could not authorize an investigation and wouldhand any request to the 15-nation Security Council, she said."We don't know exactly what they will be requesting. So it'sgoing to be for the Security Council to discuss," she said.
In a possible parallel, the Security Council set up aninvestigation into the February 2005 assassination of formerLebanese Prime Minister Rafik al-Hariri, as well as a specialtribunal to hear the case when the investigation is completed.
Gilani, a senior official of Bhutto's party, was sworn inon Tuesday to head a coalition government made up of opponentsof President Pervez Musharraf, whose allies were defeated in aFebruary 18 election.
(Reporting by Patrick Worsnip; editing by Mohammad Zargham)
