UN experts to probe alleged Syria chemical attacks

UNITED NATIONS (AP) ? U.N. experts will travel to Syria as soon as possible to investigate three alleged incidents of chemical weapons, the United Nations announced Wednesday.

U.N. spokesman Martin Nesirky said the green light for the investigation followed "the understanding reached with the government of Syria" during last week's visit to Damascus by U.N. disarmament chief Angela Kane and the head of the chemical weapons investigation team, Ake Sellstrom.

He said Sellstrom's team will visit Khan al-Assal, a village on the southwestern outskirts of the embattled city of Aleppo, which was captured by the rebels last week and was under attack by government forces Wednesday. The government and rebels blame each other for a purported chemical attack on the village on March 19 that killed at least 30 people.

Nesirky did not give any details of the other two incidents to be investigated. A well-informed U.N. diplomat, speaking on condition of anonymity because discussions on the issue have been private, said Sellstrom is expected to choose the two other sites based on the technical and scientific information the U.N. has received.

Syria initially asked Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to investigate the Khan al-Assal incident and balked at a broader investigation sought by the U.N. chief after Britain, France and the United States sent the U.N. information about a dozen other alleged attacks in Homs, Damascus, Aleppo and elsewhere.

Last week's Damascus visit by Kane and Sellstrom led to Syria's agreement to the probe of three incidents.

Nesirky said "The secretary-general remains mindful of other reported incidents and the mission will also continue to seek clarification from the member states concerned."

The diplomat stressed that the chemical weapons experts should have access to all 13 sites.

The mandate of the investigation team is to report on whether chemical weapons were used, and if so which chemical weapon, but not to determine the responsibility for an attack.

In June, the United States said it had conclusive evidence that Syrian President Bashar Assad's regime has used chemical weapons against opposition forces. That crossed what President Barack Obama had called a "red line" and prompted a U.S. decision to send arms and ammunition to the opposition, not just humanitarian aid and non-lethal material like armored vests and night goggles.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/un-experts-probe-alleged-syria-chemical-attacks-193056332.html

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