UN investigators ready to deploy to Syria
United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon says a U.N. team is ready to deploy to Syria within the next 24 to 48 hours to investigate chemical weapons attack claims
Government forces reportedly shelled the rebel stronghold of Darraya according to this latest video posted to a social media website whose content Reuters cannot independently verify. The attacks on the Damascus suburb came as Washington continues to investigate the use of chemicals weapons in the war-torn country. White House Spokesman Jay Carney. SOUNDBITE: White house Spokesman Jay Carney saying: "What we have made clear, and we can go over it again, is that we have established, with varying degrees of confidence, that there have been incidents of chemical weapons use - sarin, in particular, in a limited fashion - in Syria. We are now working to build upon that evidence to increase the amount of evidence to find, specifically, what happened; what occurred; who was responsible; and build that case, if you will." So far, assertions of chemical weapon use have been based on Israeli and western intelligence photos as well as traces of toxins. Concerns have reached the point that the UN says it is ready to send in a team to investigate. United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon. SOUNDBITE: United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon saying: "Dr. Sellstrom and his team of experts remain ready to deploy to Syria within 24-48 hours...Even while waiting for Syrian consent to enter the country they have been doing what they have to do, what they have to do, what they can do to analyze available information." Syria denies using chemical weapons in the two-year-old civil war in which more than 70,000 people have been killed.
3 years ago