Ban told reporters in New York Monday: "We are now taking necessary steps. We hope that once the United Nations will sign this document, the Lebanese government should take necessary measures to ratify this in accordance with their constitutional procedures."

U.N. deputy spokeswoman Marie Okabe said that Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora sent a signed copy of the agreement to the United Nations last week. The agreement must now be signed by the United Nations and returned to Lebanon for ratification.

However, the Middle East News Agency, MENA, said Ban's comments were a reaction to a letter sent by Siniora in which he informed the U.N. chief that Speaker Nabih Berri has refused to convene an extraordinary parliament session to endorse the tribunal that would try the suspected assassins of ex-Premier Rafik Hariri and related crimes.

Berri on Saturday said that the government had recently sent a letter to the U.N. Security Council that paves the way for requesting the establishment of the tribunal under Chapter 7.

Chapter 7 spares the government the need to approve the international tribunal in parliament.

Asked if he backs the tribunal plan that has led to the resignation of pro-Syrian ministers from the Siniora cabinet, Ban said that he is aware that there is "some kind of political process" and reiterated the need for the tribunal's approval.

The ministers resigned their posts in mid-November after Siniora called for a cabinet meeting to endorse the tribunal, claiming that the prime minister had called for the extraordinary session without consulting them.

Sources: Naharnet