Alleged chemical attacks in Syria - ?Clear and convincing? evidence of chemical weapons use in Syria, UN team reports

[Pathfinder]

Re: Alleged chemical attack kills 25 in northern Syria - new allegations of chemical weapons use

Re: Alleged chemical attack kills 25 in northern Syria - new allegations of chemical weapons use

Syria: MSF statements should not be used to justify military actions

<!-- /.block -->Response to the US administration and other governments referring to MSF Statement of August 24

28 August 2013

http://www.msf.org/article/syria-msf-statements-should-not-be-used-justify-military-actions
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MSF Statement of August 24 -

Syria: Thousands suffering neurotoxic symptoms treated in hospitals supported by MSF

24 August 2013

http://www.msf.org/article/syria-th...oxic-symptoms-treated-hospitals-supported-msf

 

[Emily]

Re: Alleged chemical attack kills 25 in northern Syria - new allegations of chemical weapons use

Re: Alleged chemical attack kills 25 in northern Syria - new allegations of chemical weapons use

http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2013/08/26/the_scientist_under_syria_s_microscope_chemical_weapons?page=0,0

The Scientist Under Syria's Microscope
Meet the neurobiologist-turned-weapons inspector who could stop -- or start -- a wider war.
BY DAVID KENNER | AUGUST 26, 2013
CAIRO -- On Monday morning, a United Nations chemical weapons inspection team left the Four Seasons Hotel in downtown Damascus, and prepared to head to the site of what is alleged to be the worst chemical weapons attack in decades. They were led by Ake Sellstrom, a Swedish scientist who finds himself transported from his classroom at Umea University into the middle of the worst conflict on the face of the planet...

And also meet the hypocrisy of those wanting to bomb Syria under the guise of opposing chemical weapons use, without even a proper investigation of the facts in the matter:

http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2013/08/25/secret_cia_files_prove_america_helped_saddam_as_he_gassed_iran

Exclusive: CIA Files Prove America Helped Saddam as He Gassed Iran
The U.S. knew Hussein was launching some of the worst chemical attacks in history -- and still gave him a hand.
BY SHANE HARRIS AND MATTHEW M. AID | AUGUST 26, 2013

 

[Pathfinder]

Re: Alleged chemical attack kills 25 in northern Syria - new allegations of chemical weapons use

Re: Alleged chemical attack kills 25 in northern Syria - new allegations of chemical weapons use

Syria: with samples en route to labs, Ban calls on Security Council to develop response

3 September 2013 ? With the United Nations chemical weapons team working ?around the clock? to expedite analyses of samples taken in Syria, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today called on Security Council members to unite and develop an appropriate response should allegations regarding the use of such weapons prove true.

Speaking to the press at UN Headquarters in New York before heading to St. Petersburg, Russia for the G20 Summit, Mr. Ban said that the issue is larger than the conflict in Syria, ?this is about our collective responsibility to mankind.?

?I take note of the argument for action to prevent future uses of chemical weapons,? the UN chief said. ?At the same time, we must consider the impact of any punitive measure on efforts to prevent further bloodshed and facilitate a political resolution of the conflict.?

He appealed that any decision that is made is done so within the framework of the UN Charter.

The use of force is lawful only when in exercise of self-defense in accordance with Article 51 of the United Nations Charter and/or when the Security Council approves such action, said Mr. Ban.

He appealed for renewed efforts by regional and international actors to convene the Geneva conference - with participation from senior United States, Russian and UN officials ? ?as soon as possible?.

Mr. Ban said he will discuss developments in Syria with world leaders attending the G20 summit.

Meanwhile, all biomedical and environmental samples collected by the UN chemical weapons inspection team in Syria due to arrive at designated laboratories by tomorrow.

The Secretary-General said that the Mission, led by Swedish scientist Dr. ?ke Sellstr?m, has worked ?around the clock? since returning from Syria over the weekend to prepare the materials it gathered for analysis.

?Since the horrendous attacks in the Ghouta area of Damascus two weeks ago, the [Mission] has been working urgently to establish the facts regarding the nature and extent of any use of chemical weapons,? Mr. Ban said, underscoring that, as the first probe of allegations of the use of weapons of mass destruction in the 21st century, ?the Mission?s success is in everyone?s interest.?

He called for the team to be given every opportunity to complete its task, noting that the UN investigation is ?uniquely placed to independently establish the facts in an objective and impartial manner? and to conduct its work strictly according to internationally recognized standards.
Once analyses of the samples are completed, a report will be given to Mr. Ban who will share the results with the 193-member Member States and the 15-member Security Council.

Mr. Ban has been in close contact with the five permanent members - China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States. He briefed the 10 non-permanent members of the Security Council earlier today.

Also today, High Representative for Disarmament Affairs Angela Kane will brief Member States that had written to Mr. Ban requesting the investigation of the alleged use of chemical weapons in Ghouta area of Damascus on 21 August.

?The mandate of this team is to determine the use of chemical weapons ? whether there was or not the use of chemical weapons. It?s not to determine who has used against whom. We do not have that kind of mandate at this time,? Mr. Ban said.

?This is the United Nations? decision and my decision,? the UN chief said in response to a question from a journalist as to how the mandate was established.

During the press conference, Mr. Ban reiterated that the use of chemical weapons by anyone under any circumstances would be a serious violation of international law and an outrageous war crime. ?Any perpetrators must be brought to justice. There should be no impunity,? he stressed.

http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=45760&Cr=syria&Cr1=

 

[sharon sanders]

Re: Alleged chemical attack kills 25 in northern Syria - new allegations of chemical weapons use

Re: Alleged chemical attack kills 25 in northern Syria - new allegations of chemical weapons use

Florida 'No' votes on Syria piling up
Alex LearyAlex Leary, Times Washington Bureau Chief
Thursday, September 5, 2013 10:17am


http://www.tampabay.com/blogs/the-buzz-florida-politics/florida-no-votes-on-syria-piling-up/2140120

 

[Pathfinder]

Re: Alleged chemical attack kills 25 in northern Syria - new allegations of chemical weapons use

Re: Alleged chemical attack kills 25 in northern Syria - new allegations of chemical weapons use

Urging political solution on Syria crisis, Ban warns of ?tragic consequences? of military action

6 September 2013 ? Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today urged leaders at the Group of 20 (G20) summit in St. Petersburg to explore ways to avoid further militarization of the conflict in Syria and to revitalize the search for a political settlement, warning that ?tragic consequences? could follow military action.

Mr. Ban, who has been pushing for a political solution during the summit, said the international community must renew efforts to convene the Geneva conference, which would bring all parties to the negotiating table. He added that a viable political outcome would see the full implementation of the Geneva Communiqu?.

Issued after a meeting of the Action Group for Syria in June 2012, the document lays out key steps in a process to end the violence. Among others, it calls for the establishment of a transitional governing body, with full executive powers and made up by members of the present Government and the opposition and other groups, as part of agreed principles and guidelines for a Syrian-led political transition.

?I must warn that ill-considered military action could cause serious and tragic consequences, and with an increased threat of further sectarian violence,? Mr. Ban said in his remarks at the Humanitarian Initiative on Syria, held on the margins of the G20 summit.

?We should explore ways to avoid further militarization of the conflict and revitalize the search for a political settlement instead.?

The Secretary-General also appealed to world leaders to increase support for humanitarian operations in Syria and in its neighbouring countries, which are hosting more than 2 million refugees. He noted that relief operations inside the country are only 44 per cent funded, while the refugee appeal is funded at only 40 per cent.

?No one could have imagined two years ago that Syria would end up in this unending misery. UN staff on the ground report palpable fear as the population fears imminent acceleration and deepening of the conflict,? Mr. Ban said.

?This is a humanitarian crisis of unprecedented proportions in recent history. The world must do everything within its powers to stop the suffering of the Syrian people.?

Despite the difficult conditions on the ground and the limitations to reach all the population in need, UN agencies will remain inside the country to deliver assistance, Mr. Ban said. ?Millions are being assisted on a monthly basis and the UN is working hard to ensure equitable distribution on the basis of need, irrespective of whether it is Government or opposition controlled territories.?

The UN Emergency Relief Coordinator Valerie Amos was in Syria yesterday looking at ways of strengthening the Organization?s humanitarian efforts and to support its staff. Mr. Ban said she has had positive meeting with Syrian authorities and humanitarian partners that would hopefully simplify procedures such as obtaining visas for humanitarian workers.

?Relief agencies must be able to reach people in need, wherever they are. We must do more to impress upon all parties their international humanitarian law obligations to protect civilians,? Mr. Ban said.

On the margins the G20, Mr. Ban met with French President Francois Hollande. They were accompanied by the Joint Special Representative of the UN-Arab League for Syria, Lakhdar Brahimi, and the Foreign Minister of France, Laurent Fabius. They discussed the situation in Syria, including the UN chemical weapons investigation. Mr. Brahimi also briefed on efforts to convene the Geneva conference.Mr. Ban also met with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.

http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=45786&Cr=syria&Cr1=

 

[Pathfinder]

Re: Alleged chemical attacks in Syria - new allegations of chemical weapons use

Re: Alleged chemical attacks in Syria - new allegations of chemical weapons use

Syria: UN rights panel urges political solution to crisis, end to impunity for war crimes

11 September 2013 ? Citing ongoing incidents of murder, rape, torture, widespread attacks on civilians and hostage-taking committed by Syrian forces and anti-Government armed groups, a United Nations-appointed human rights probe reported today that ?the perpetrators of these violations and crimes, on all sides, act in defiance of international law. They do not fear accountability.?

?Referral to justice is imperative. There is no military solution to this conflict. Those who supply arms create but an illusion of victory,? the International Commission of Inquiry on Syria said in its latest report, delivered to the Geneva-based UN Human Rights Council, stressing that a political solution founded upon tenets of the Geneva communiqu? is the ?only path to peace?.

The panel, which describes Syria today as ?a battlefield [where] massacres are perpetrated with impunity [and] and untold number of Syrians have disappeared,? reports that Government and pro-Government forces in Syria have continued to conduct widespread attacks on the civilian population with impunity, committing murder, torture, rape and enforced disappearance as crimes against humanity, today reported stressing that there is no military solution to the conflict.

?Failure to bring about a political settlement has allowed the conflict not only to deepen in its intransigence but also to widen ? expanding to new actors and to new, previously unimaginable crimes.?

Established by the UN Human Rights Council in 2011, the Commission is mandated to investigate and record all violations of international human rights law during the Syria conflict.

The findings produced in today?s report are based on 258 interviews and other evidence collected during the two-month period between 15 May and 15 July 2013.

As for allegations were received regarding the use of chemical weapons, predominantly by Government forces, the Commission reports that on the evidence currently available, ?it was not possible to reach a finding about the chemical agents used, their delivery systems or the perpetrators. Investigations are ongoing.?

The Commission goes on to report that Government forces ?committed gross violations of human rights and the war crimes of torture, hostage-taking, murder, execution without due process, rape, attacking protected objects and pillage.?

In reference to the offensive on Al-Qusayr town where the Commission verified that 450 people were killed, ?Government forces conducted themselves in flagrant disregard of the distinction between civilians and persons directly participating in hostilities.?

The Commission also noted that there is strong evidence to suggest that the siege on the Al-Qusayr area was imposed to ?render the conditions of life unbearable, weakening the armed groups and forcing civilians, who were so able, to flee.?

Pro-Government forces have a legal obligation to allow and facilitate the unimpeded passage of humanitarian relief, the Commission said in its sixth report since it began documenting violations of international law inside Syria in August 2011.

According to the report, the anti-Government forces have committed ?war crimes, including murder, execution without due process, torture, hostage-taking and attacking protected objects,? as well as besieging and indiscriminately shelling civilian neighbourhoods.

Anti-Government and Kurdish armed groups have recruited and used child soldiers in hostilities, the report said.

In a statement at a press conference in Geneva, the Commission, led by Paulo Pinheiro, urgently called for a cessation of hostilities and a return to negotiations, leading to a political settlement.

?To elect military action in Syria will not only intensify the suffering inside the country but will also serve to keep such a settlement beyond our collective reach,? stressed the group, which also includes experts Karen Koning AbuZayd, Carla del Ponte and Vitit Muntarbhorn.

The Commission urged a political solution founded upon tenets of the Geneva communiqu? of 30 June 2012.

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and Joint Special Representative of the UN and the League of Arab States, Lakhdar Brahimi, along with other senior UN officials, have been advocating for a so-called Geneva II meeting, which would include representatives of Syrian parties as well as senior United States, Russian and UN officials.

The goal of the conference would be to achieve a political solution to the conflict through a comprehensive agreement between the Government and the opposition for the full implementation of the communiqu?. The Commission of Inquiry will present this latest report to the Human Rights Council on 16 September.

http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=45817&Cr=syria&Cr1=

 

[Pathfinder]

Re: Alleged chemical attacks in Syria - new allegations of chemical weapons use

Re: Alleged chemical attacks in Syria - new allegations of chemical weapons use

Ban welcomes ?serious international discussions? on Syria?s chemical weapons

11 September 2013 ? United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has strongly welcomed the emergence of ?serious international discussions? that could lead to an agreement in the UN Security Council to secure and destroy Syria?s chemical weapons.

?The Secretary-General welcomes, therefore, President Obama?s decision to take time to further explore this diplomatic opportunity to achieve this crucially important objective,? a UN spokesman said in New York.

Mr. Ban?s statement follows a flurry of diplomatic activity noted by the media in the past 72 hours, following a reported Russian proposal for Damascus to surrender its chemical weapons and place them under international control. In the meantime, evidence collected by a UN team probing possible chemical weapons use in Syria on 21 August is being examined by laboratories in Europe.

In a national address last night, US President Barack Obama cited ?encouraging signs in recent days? and announced that he was sending US Secretary of State John Kerry to meet Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Geneva on Thursday for further talks, and that he would continue discussions with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Both countries are permanent members of the UN Security Council ? along with China France and the United Kingdom ? which has been deadlocked over a solution to the 30 month crisis in Syria.

The UN chief welcomed the efforts by the Russian Federation to advance a possible agreement. ?He hopes the US-Russian meetings later this week will be productive in moving toward a process for addressing the Syrian chemical weapons threat which all parties will be committed to,? the spokesperson said.?The confirmed use of chemical weapons would be an outrageous crime for which there must be accountability and determined efforts to prevent any recurrence,? the statement said.

http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=45820&Cr=syria&Cr1=

 

[sharon sanders]

Re: Alleged chemical attacks in Syria - new allegations of chemical weapons use

Re: Alleged chemical attacks in Syria - new allegations of chemical weapons use

U.N. inspectors confirm use of chemical weapons in Syria
Monday, 16 September 2013


snip


War Crime
U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon slammed the use of banned poison arms as a war crime and called on the U.N. Security Council to impose ?consequences? to back a Russia-U.S. plan to eliminate President Bashar al-Assad?s chemical arsenal.

Without naming the perpetrator, Ban said the attack was ?the most signficant? use of chemical weapons since late Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein killed thousands in the town of Halabja in 1988.

more...


http://english.alarabiya.net/en/New...incing-evidence-on-Syria-chemical-attack.html

 

[Giuseppe]

Re: Alleged chemical attacks in Syria - new allegations of chemical weapons use

Re: Alleged chemical attacks in Syria - new allegations of chemical weapons use

Sic! UN forgot several instances of non-conventional weapons employed during: 1) 1991 US-Iraq War; 2) 1999 NATO-Serbia War; 3) 2003-2013 US-NATO/Iraq-Afghanistan Wars; 3) Israel-Gaza War...

UN forgot things easily recently.

 

[Pathfinder]

Re: Alleged chemical attacks in Syria - new allegations of chemical weapons use

Re: Alleged chemical attacks in Syria - new allegations of chemical weapons use

?Clear and convincing? evidence of chemical weapons use in Syria, UN team reports

16 September 2013 ? A United Nations team probing the possible use of chemical weapons in Syria has found ?clear and convincing evidence? that Sarin gas was used in an incident that occurred on 21 August in the Ghouta area on the outskirts of Damascus and which reportedly killed hundreds of people.

?The report makes for chilling reading,? Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon told reporters following a closed-door briefing to the Security Council on the team?s work, which concludes that on the basis of evidence obtained during its investigation, ?chemical weapons have been used in the ongoing conflict between the parties in [Syria], also against civilians, including children, on a relatively large scale.?

The team, led by Swedish scientist Dr. ?ke Sellstr?m, also concludes in particular that the environmental, chemical and medical samples collected provide ?clear and convincing evidence that surface-to-air rockets containing the nerve agent Sarin were used in Ein Tarma, Moadamiyah, and Zamalka, in the Ghouta area of Damascus.?

Formally known as the Mission to Investigate Allegations of the Use of Chemical Weapons in the Syrian Arab Republic, Dr. Sellstr?m?s team was established by the Secretary-General on 21 March 2013 and was assisted by experts from the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW).

?The results are overwhelming and indisputable. The facts speak for themselves. The United Nations Mission has now confirmed, unequivocally and objectively, that chemical weapons have been used in Syria,? declared Mr. Ban, underscoring that 85 per cent of blood samples from the sites in Ghouta tested positive for Sarin, and the majority of the rocket fragments were also found to be carrying the deadly nerve agent.

?There must be accountability for the use of chemical weapons. Any use of chemical weapons by anyone, anywhere, is a crime,? said Mr. Ban, stressing: ?But our message today must be more than: Do not slaughter your people with gas. There must also be no impunity for the crimes being committed with conventional weapons.?

?This is a war crime,? the Secretary-General said, stressing that the incident marked the most serious chemical weapons incident since Saddam Hussein?s attack on the Halabja region of Iraq, and the worst use of weapons of mass destruction in the 21st century. ?The international community has a responsibility to hold the perpetrators accountable and to ensure that chemical weapons never re-emerge as an instrument of warfare.?

The accession of Syria to the Chemical Weapons Convention and its belated acknowledgement that it possesses chemical weapons are welcome developments that come with strict obligations, the UN chief said.

Responding to questions, the Secretary-General said Dr. Sellstr?m?s team had been able to determine objectively that Sarin was used on a relatively large scale. It was the team?s job to determine whether and to what extent chemical weapons were used, not who used them.

?It is for others to decide whether to pursue this matter further to determine responsibility. We may all have our own thoughts on this, but I would simply say that this was a grave crime and those responsible must be brought to justice as soon as possible,? he said.

Speaking during the closed-door Council session, the UN chief said the team had interviewed more than 50 survivors, medical personnel and first responders. It applied a rigorous and objective selection process designed to identify survivors who may have been exposed to chemical agents. It assessed these individuals? symptoms and collected biomedical samples, including from hair, urine and blood.

The Mission also documented and sampled impact sites and munitions, and collected 30 soil and environmental samples ? far more than any previous such UN investigation, he said.

?The statements by survivors offer a vivid account of the events of 21 August,? said the Secretary-General, noting that survivors reported that following an attack with shelling, they quickly experienced a range of symptoms, including shortness of breath, disorientation, eye irritation, blurred vision, nausea, vomiting and general weakness.

?Many eventually lost consciousness. First responders described seeing a large number of individuals lying on the ground, many of them dead or unconscious,? he said.

On related developments, Mr. Ban said that Russia and the United States, led by Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Secretary of State John Kerry, held intensive consultations in Geneva last week, along with their experts. He welcomed the understanding they reached regarding the safeguarding and destruction of Syria?s chemical weapons stockpiles.

?I hope the Security Council and the Executive Council of the OPCW can move quickly to consider and implement this plan. I stand ready to support this plan in every way possible, while also fully realizing the complexities of such an undertaking in the midst of a civil war,? he said.

?The unity of the Security Council will be crucial. Given the gravity of the situation, I urge the Council to consider ways to ensure enforcement of, and compliance with, the plan through a clear resolution.?

Mr. Ban also said that the humanitarian situation in Syria is desperate. Food supplies are dangerously low in some places. ?Families face intolerable choices between the risk of remaining in place and the risk of taking flight. Communities that once lived in relative harmony are now torn with sectarian tension.??We need to do everything we can to bring the parties to the negotiating table. This is the only path to a durable solution. I stand ready to convene the International Conference on Syria in Geneva as soon as possible,? he said, adding that he looked forward to meeting with Mr. Lavrov and Mr. Kerry on 28 September. He hoped the officials would be able to set a date for the conference at that time.

http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=45856&Cr=syria&Cr1=

 

[Pathfinder]

Re: Alleged chemical attacks in Syria - ?Clear and convincing? evidence of chemical weapons use in Syria, UN team reports

UN team finds ?credible information? on more cases of chemical weapons use in Syria

12 December 2013 ? The United Nations team probing the use of chemical weapons in Syria, which in September found ?clear and convincing evidence? of Sarin gas attacks against civilians, including children, in the Damascus area, today reported ?credible information? that such weapons were used against soldiers and civilians in other parts of the country.

?The United Nations Mission collected credible information that corroborates the allegations that chemical weapons were used in Khan Al Asal on 19 March 2013 against soldiers and civilians,? according to the final report, which team leader Dr. ?ke Sellstr?m handed over to Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon at UN Headquarters in New York.

?However, the release of chemical weapons at the alleged site could not be independently verified in the absence of primary information on delivery systems and of environmental and biomedical samples collected and analysed under the chain of custody.?

The report concludes that ?chemical weapons have been used in the ongoing conflict between the parties? in Syria, and repeated the team?s earlier finding of ?clear and convincing evidence? of chemical weapons use against civilians, including children, on a relatively large scale in the Ghouta area of Damascus on 21 August 2013.

Since the allegations arose, the Government has acknowledged that it possessed chemical weapons, joined the Chemical Weapons Convention, and pledged their elimination. A Joint UN Mission with the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) was established and is overseeing the destruction of Syria?s stockpiles and production facilities.

?The use of chemical weapons is a grave violation of international law and an affront to our shared humanity,? Mr. Ban said on receiving the report. ?We need to remain vigilant to ensure that these awful weapons are eliminated, not only in Syria, but everywhere.?

In all the cases the team, appointed before Syria acknowledged that it possessed such weapons, did not specify which party might have used the weapons in the nearly three-year old civil war between the Government and opposition fighters, since that was not part of its mandate.

It based its Ghouta findings on Sarin found in exploded surface-to-surface rockets at the site, environmental contamination by Sarin in the area where patients were affected, epidemiology of over 50 interviews given by survivors and health care workers, survivor intoxication by an organophosphorous compound, and blood and urine samples that were positive for Sarin.

In the case of Khan Al Asal, near Aleppo in the north of the country, the team based its findings on the epidemiology from witness statements of medical staff and military personnel participating in the rescue operation and on the documentation from the local health sector provided by Syria, Interviews with secondary exposed survivors that confirm symptoms of an organophosphorous intoxication.

It also noted that none of the parties denied the use of chemical weapons there and that the evaluation of the information provided by the Government as well as by the Governments of France, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States indicated that chemical weapons were used.

In other cases the team reported evidence consistent with the probable use of chemical weapons in Jobar on 24 August, on a relatively small scale against soldiers but because of the absence of primary information on delivery systems and environmental samples collected and analysed under the chain of custody, it could not establish the link between the victims, the alleged event and the alleged site.

The mission collected evidence suggesting chemical weapons use in Saraqueb on 24 August 2013 on a small scale, also against civilians, in Ashrafiah Sahnaya on 25 August on a small scale against soldiers, but could not establish linkage for similar same reasons.

It could not corroborate the allegation that chemical weapons were used in Bahhariyeh on 22 August due to lack of blood samples, and in Sheik Maqsood on 13 April in the absence of further information.

?The United Nations Mission remains deeply concerned that chemical weapons were used in the ongoing conflict between the parties in the Syrian Arabic Republic, which has added yet another dimension to the continued suffering of the Syrian people,? the report concluded.

Formally known as the Mission to Investigate Allegations of the Use of Chemical Weapons in the Syrian Arab Republic the team led by Dr. Sellstr?m, a Swedish scientist, was established by Mr. Ban on 21 March and was assisted by experts from the UN World Health Organization (WHO) and the OPCW.

The Secretary-General will brief the General Assembly on the report in a closed session tomorrow afternoon. Following that briefing, the High Representative for Disarmament Affairs, Angela Kane; Head of the UN Mission, Professor Sellstr?m; and the team leaders, Scott Cairns from the OPCW and Dr. Maurizio Barbeschi from WHO are expected to brief the press at Headquarters.

http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=46730&Cr=syria&Cr1=