LONDON,(Reuters) – Syria is confident it could cope with any sanctions against Damascus over the killing of Lebanon”s former prime minister, its deputy prime minister said in comments published on Wednesday.

Speaking to Britain”s Financial Times, Abdullah al-Dardari said Syria had set up an economic crisis team to plan for &#34every scenario&#34.

But he said he was confident his country would avoid sanctions by working with the U.N. investigation into the death of Rafik Hariri in a February bombing in Beirut.

The U.N. Security Council voted unanimously on Monday for a resolution ordering Syria to cooperate fully with the Hariri probe or face possible &#34further action&#34.

An explicit threat of economic sanctions was dropped at the last minute.

&#34Sanction busters are everywhere,&#34 Dardari was quoted as saying in the FT. &#34There are American companies setting up in Canada to sell to Syria.

&#34There is no panic in the country. The Syrian pound is under pressure but we managed to contain it and control it very nicely. It is a sign of confidence.&#34

He said Syria would cooperate with the U.N. probe to strengthen its support from China, Russia and Algeria.

The chief U.N. investigator, German prosecutor Detlev Mehlis, has named Syrian officials as suspects in a plot to kill Hariri.

Syria denies any role in Hariri”s murder and has launched its own investigation into his killing.

The fallout from Hariri”s death forced Syria to withdraw its troops from Lebanon in April after 29 years.