Unidentified snipers opened fire on a convoy of UN experts investigating chemical weapons attacks in Damascus, as reported by the BBC. Syrian state media have blamed opposition "terrorists" for the attack.
While the convoys were reportedly shot at deliberately by a sniper, the U.N. Secretary-General, after speaking to Under-Secretary Angela Kane released a statement saying, "despite such very difficult circumstances, our team returned to Damascus and replaced their car and proceeded to a suburb of Damascus to carry on their investigation. They visited two hospitals, they interviewed witnesses, survivors and doctors, they also collected some samples. They are now returning to Damascus...
"I have instructed Angela Kane to register a strong complaint to the Syrian Government and authorities of opposition forces so that this will never happen and the safety and security of the investigation teams will be secured from tomorrow," Ban continued.
The 20-member UN inspection team has been in Syria since August 18 to look into three earlier suspected chemical attacks. Both sides have blamed the other for unleashing nerve gases. They were given permission on Sunday to examine the Damascus locations, news reports said.
The inspections team intends to take all sorts of samples for laboratory samples for laboratory testing, yet will not like to apply direct blame to any one side for perpetrating the attacks.
The United States, for their part, has said that there was little doubt Syrian forces used chemical weapons last week, which reportedly killed more than 300 people, including many women and children, in rebel areas.
Bashar al-Assad, the Syrian President, dismissed the accusation calling it "an insult to common sense," warning against military intervention by the U.S.
"If someone is dreaming of making Syria a puppet of the West, then this will not happen," he told the Russian newspaper Izvestiya.
A year ago U.S. President said the use of chemical weapons would be considered a "red line," which could trigger military action.
Over the weekend, the U.S. bolstered its naval presence in the Mediterranean Sea for a potential attack against Assad. The U.N. Security Council however remains divided as it is unlikely Russia or China will align themselves with Western nations asking for stricter sanctions against Assad.
Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said any intervention in Syria without a UN mandate would be a "grave violation of international law."
Syria's decision to allow in UN experts was dismissed by a senior U.S. official as "too late to be credible."
Syria's security forces are widely believed to possess large stockpiles of mustard gas and sarin nerve agent, news reports said.
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