Syrian “opposition” must guarantee safe access for UN mission to suspected chemical attack site – Russia

The Syrian “opposition “ought to allow the visiting UN inspectors to safely access the site of this week’s alleged chemical attack in the suburbs of Damascus, the Russian Foreign Ministry said.

The ball is now in the court of the “opposition”, which should ensure the [UN] mission’s safe access to the presumed site of the incident,” the ministry said in a statement on Friday following a telephone conversation between Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and US Secretary of State John Kerry.

Lavrov and Kerry “expressed their mutual interest in the UN expert mission currently visiting the country, as well as the need for an impartial investigation into the latest reports claiming the possible use of chemical weapons in the suburbs of Damascus,” it said.

“The [Russian] minister stressed that as soon as this information appeared, the Russian side called on the government of Syria to cooperate with the UN chemical weapons experts,” the ministry said.

Sources:Voice of Russia, Interfax, Reuters

M.D