The investigators of Organization for a ban on chemical weapons (OPCW) have received visas for ir trip to Syria to investigate alleged poison gas attack in Duma. This is what Syria’s UN Ambassador Bashar al-Jaafari said in New York. The experts should arrive in two groups today and tomorrow in country to investigate what exactly happened in city in region of Ostghuta. On Saturday investigation would begin, organization shared with.
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The poison gas attack on Duma reported on Saturday is said to have been killed by different data between 42 and 85 people. Just a few days ago, city was held by rebels, on Thursday today Syrian government announced that it had brought Duma under its control.
On Tuesday, OPCW had announced that y wanted to investigate case and asked Syrian government to take necessary precautions. The organization will send ten experts to Duma.
France had declared in afternoon to have evidence of use of chemical weapons by Syrian government. The United States also accuses government of President Bashar al-Assad of being responsible for attack. US President Donald Trump announced a missile attack in Syria on Wednesday. Later, however, he qualified that this military strike might not be held in near future. Russia, Assad’s protective power, is questioning wher a poison gas attack was ever taking place.
When OPCW experts arrive in Syria, it will be first time since 2014 that independent experts will be deployed outside capital city of Damascus. At that time, a OPCW convoy was attacked and two occupants were abducted for a short time.
The US is hoping for little of OPCW deployment
Several attempts to carry out independent investigations in Syria have failed in past. So again this week: On Tuesday, Russia was expected to veto UN Security Council against a draft resolution presented by United States on recent alleged poison gas attack. The draft proposed a new ‘ independent mechanism ‘ to investigate poison gas allegations. Two draft resolutions submitted by Russia were also rejected. In one it was said to support OPCW in ir investigations, but those responsible for suspected poison gas attack should not be named.
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Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Thursday that she regretted that OPCW could not go to Syria earlier to investigate incident in Ostghuta region. It is a bad picture on Russia that investigation of attack by International Chemical Weapons authority was not possible, Merkel said about ally of Syrian government.
US Secretary of Defense James Mattis said he did not expect any evidence from forthcoming investigation of OPCW: “From this investigative team that goes in (…) We won’t know who did it, “said Mattis in Washington. The confirmation of a chemical weapon use alone becomes more difficult from day to day, because, for example, chlorine gas evaporate.
The UN Security Council wants to discuss impending escalation in Syria again today.
Does Syria still have chemical weapons?
Syria had joined OPCW after a 2013 poison gas attack and had agreed to destroy its chemical weapons. But it is unclear wher all stocks were actually destroyed.
Neverless, Syria’s government had been repeatedly accused in past of having used poison gas. A joint investigation team of UN and OPCW in a report concluded that Syrian Air Force was responsible for devastating Saringasangriff to city of Chan Scheichun with more than 80 deaths.
