BICOM

The Assad regime in Syria yesterday refused to admit a UN chemical weapons inspection team, accusing it of broadening its original mandate.

Assad’s government had initially asked the UN to look into an incident which took place near Aleppo in March, in which it accuses opposition forces of having used chemical agents. Speaking in The Hague yesterday, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said that a fifteen-strong inspection team had been sent to Cyprus and was ready to deploy in Syria at 24-hours notice. He said, “All we are waiting for is the go-ahead from the Syrian government to determine whether any chemicals weapons were used, in any location.”

However, late last night, the Syrian state run SANA news agency said that the UN inspection team would not be allowed access into Syria, as “Ban Ki-moon has yielded to the pressures practiced by countries known for their support to the Syrian bloodshed in order to divert the consultations … from their real context.” The statement is thought to refer to the inspection team’s intention to also investigate two other incidents, in which opposition groups claim Assad’s forces used chemical weapons, in Homs in December 2012 and near Damascus in March.

Ban Ki-moon said that, “The use of chemical weapons by any side, under any circumstances, would constitute an outrageous crime with dire consequences and constitute a crime against humanity.” In November, US President Obama warned President Assad that the use of chemical weapons would constitute a “red line.” There is widespread international concern, not least in Israel, that Syria’s chemical stockpiles could fall into the hands of dangerous groups such as Hezbollah.