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 UN spokeswoman said.
The premier, Yousaf Raza Gilani, raised the issue when UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon telephoned him to congratulate him on his appointment, Ban's spokeswoman Michele Montas said. Ban told Gilani the United Nations would need a formal request from Pakistan before considering the matter and Gilani said a resolution by Pakistan's parliament would be the first step, Montas told reporters.
"The secretary-general said ... that the UN cannot do anything unless we receive a formal request from the government," Montas said. Ban himself could not authorise an investigation and would hand any request to the 15-nation Security Council, she said. "We don't know exactly what they will be requesting. So it's going to be for the Security Council to discuss," she said.
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