UN chemical weapons inspectors to investigate 3 Syrian sites
Iran Press TV
Thu Aug 1, 2013 12:34PM GMT
The United Nations says it is sending an investigation team to Syria to probe three sites where chemical weapons have allegedly been used during the Arab country's 28-month-long conflict.
The UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's press office said in a statement on Wednesday that the UN inspectors will visit Syria "as soon as possible."
'The mission will travel to Syria as soon as possible to contemporaneously investigate three of the reported incidents, including Khan al-Assal,' the statement said.
An accord was reached with the Syrian government last week during a visit to Damascus by two UN envoys - the head of a UN chemical weapons investigation team, Ake Sellstrom, and the head of the UN Office of Disarmament Affairs, Angela Kane.
The UN inspectors are reportedly travelling to Syria next week.
The first site on the UN list is the town of Khan al-Assal, located near the northern city of Aleppo. The Syrian government reported a chemical attack carried out by foreign-backed militants on March 19 that killed 26 people.
The other two sites are Ataybah near the capital, where a suspected attack took place in March and Homs, where chemical weapons were reportedly used in December last year.
The Syrian government and foreign-backed militants fighting to topple President Bashar al-Assad accuse each other of using chemical weapons.
A Russian-led inquiry recently revealed that militants carried out a chemical attack in Khan al-Assal in March.
On May 6, UN investigator, Carla del Ponte, said testimony from victims of the conflict in Syria suggests militants have used the nerve agent, sarin.
Sarin is a colorless and highly toxic nerve agent that can cause convulsions, paralysis and death within minutes if it is absorbed through inhalation, ingestion, or contact with skin or eyes.
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