[NEW UPDATE] Syrian Gas Attack: Second Team of Weapons Experts Head For Syria
To expedite the chemical disarmament mission in Syria, the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons is sending a second team of experts to Damascus on Wednesday.
By Sadho Ram — 22 Aug 2013, 01:07 AM — Updated almost 11 years ago
The world's chemical weapons watchdog has said it will send a second team of inspectors to boost its programme to destroy Syria's stockpile
Ahmet Uzumcu, director-general of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, spoke to the group’s 41-nation Executive Council at the start of a four-day meeting in The Hague.
The organisation’s inspectors are in Syria to verify and destroy the country’s estimated 1,000 tons of chemical weapons, in the midst of a two-year civil war.
Assad's government, fighting a civil war in which more than 100,000 people have died, agreed to destroy the arms after a sarin gas attack on the outskirts of Damascus killed hundreds of people in August.
in.comHowever, human rights groups point out that chemical weapons are only responsible for about 2% of the estimated 100,000 deaths during the two-year conflict, in which armed opposition groups are seeking to topple President Bashar al-Assad.
The groups warn that disposing of the chemical capabilities will not stop the war.
The destruction of Syria's chemical weapons has begun, international monitors have said
Inspectors began the enormous task Sunday of destroying Syria’s stockpile of chemical weapons and the machinery used to create it racing to meet a tight deadline to eliminate President Bashar Assad’s chemical weapons program.
nytimes.com
The disarmament experts arrived in Damascus on Tuesday to carry out their mission under a U.N. Security Council resolution to dismantle and ultimately eliminate Syria’s estimated 1,000-ton arsenal.
google.comBy the end of the day Sunday, a combination of both weapons and some production equipment would be put out of order, a U.N. official who works alongside the inspectors said.
google.com“Today is the first day of the phase of destruction and disabling. Verification will also continue,” the official, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter.
“The plan was that two types categories of materials would be destroyed: one is equipment for making (weapons) — filling and mixing equipment, some of it mobile, and some it static. The other is actual munitions.”
Experts begin their complex mission of finding, dismantling and ultimately destroying Syria's Chemical arsenal
An advance group of international inspectors arrived in Syria on Tuesday to begin the ambitious task of overseeing the destruction of President Bashar Assad’s chemical weapons programme.
arirang.co.krTwenty inspectors from a Netherlands-based chemical weapons watchdog crossed into Syria from neighbouring Lebanon on their way to Damascus, to begin their complex mission of finding, dismantling and ultimately destroying an estimated 1,000-tonne chemical arsenal.
The experts have about nine months to complete the task, which has been endorsed by a U.N. Security Council resolution that calls for Syria’s chemical stockpile to be eliminated by mid-2014.
It is the shortest deadline that experts from the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons have ever faced in any nation, and their first mission in a country at war.
irishtimes.com
Experts at The Hague, where the OPCW is based, said on Sunday the inspectors’ priority is to achieve the first milestone of helping Syria scrap its ability to manufacture chemical weapons by a November 1, 2013 deadline, using every means possible.
firstpost.com
That may include smashing mixing equipment with sledgehammers, blowing up delivery missiles, driving tanks over empty shells or filling them with concrete, and running machines without lubricant so they seize up and become inoperable.
UN inspectors say, there is “clear and convincing evidence” that chemical weapons were used in the August 21 attack in Syria
The report provided incriminating new evidence of Syrian government culpability in the Aug. 21 attack, in which banned chemical weapons were used.
nytimes.comWhile the report’s authors did not assign blame for the attack on the outskirts of Damascus, the details it documented included the large size and particular shape of the munitions and the precise direction from which two of them had been fired.
indianexpress.comThe report was the first independent on-the-ground scientific inquest into the attack, which left hundreds of civilians gassed to death, including children, early on Aug. 21.
hindustantimes.comVladimir Putin tells American people, strikes on Syria will make conflict worse and only unleash further terror
Vladimir Putin said it was not in America’s long term interest to attack Syria (Picture: AP)
Image via wordpress.comRussian president Vladimir Putin has made a direct plea to the American people over the Syria crisis, warning any military action risked escalating the conflict and unleashing further terrorism.
The Russian leader repeated his claim that last month’s chemical weapons attack was the work of opposition forces rather than the widely held view it was Bashar al-Assad’s regime that was responsible.
Malaysian Foreign Minister Anifah Aman says Malaysia is against military intervention in Syria
Malaysia is opposed to any plans by the United States to strike Syria over President Bashar al-Assad’s purported use of chemical weapons against civilians as it will not solve any conflict faced by that strife-torn country.
thestar.com.myForeign Minister Datuk Seri Anifah Aman said there was bound to be collateral damage in any military action, which would end with more casualties. “Malaysia has never been supportive of military intervention in any country.
peopledaily.com.cn
“Our position is clear; that the world must give the opportunity to all warring factions (in Syria) to sit down for a dialogue to find a solution. “Political solution (is the best). We have seen what had happened in many countries; what happened in Libya, Iraq and Afghanistan."
thestar.com.my“It (foreign military intervention) has not solved any problem, whatsoever. “We believe the world must let the Syrian people decide the destiny of their country,” he said here yesterday. At the same time, Anifah said Malaysia was against the use of chemical weapons for whatever reasons.
peopledaily.com.cnThe US president wins crucial support from key Congressional leaders of both Democratic and Republican parties
President Barack Obama won the backing of key figures in the U.S. Congress, including Republicans, in his call for limited U.S. strikes on Syria to punish President Bashar al-Assad for his suspected use of chemical weapons against civilians
reuters.com
Leaders of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee said they reached an agreement on a draft authorization for the use of military force in Syria, paving the way for a vote by the committee on Wednesday.
nvonews.com
"What we are envisioning is something limited. It is something proportional. It will degrade Assad's capabilities," Obama said. "At the same time we have a broader strategy that will allow us to upgrade the capabilities of the opposition."
John Boehner, the Republican speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, and House Majority Leader Eric Cantor both pledged their support for military action after the meeting. Votes are expected to be held in the Senate and House next week, with the Republican-led House presenting the tougher challenge for Obama.
Saudi Arabia urges UN, world to take 'deterrent' steps on Syria
The final resolution passed by an Arab League meeting in Cairo urged the United Nations and international community to "take the deterrent and necessary measures against the culprits of this crime that the Syrian regime bears responsibility for".
reuters.com
The League foreign ministers also said those responsible for the attack should face trial, as other "war criminals" have. Saudi Foreign Minister Saud al-Faisal said condemnation of Syria over the poison gas attack was not enough.
aljazeera.com"Any opposition to any international action would only encourage Damascus to move forward with committing its crimes and using all weapons of mass destruction," said Faisal.
reuters.com
Barack Obama puts Syria strike on hold, asks US Congress to approve military strike against Syria
President Barack Obama postponed threatened missile strikes against Syria on Saturday in a risky gamble that he can win more support for his plan to punish Bashar al-Assad's regime.
intoday.in
To general surprise, the US leader broke with decades of precedent to announce that he would seek approval from Congress for action against Syria's alleged use of chemical weapons.
This effectively pushed military action back until at least September 9, when US lawmakers return from their summer recess.
Mirroring US policy, France will wait for its parliament to consider possible military action against Syria before President Francois Hollande decides whether to launch strikes, his office said Saturday.
hindustantimes.comWATCH: A Syrian father is reunited with his son he thought was dead
United States, Allies prepare to act as Syria intelligence mounts. Evidence includes satellite images, intercepted communications
Syrian Army soldiers in Jobar, a suburb of Damascus, last week. President Bashar al-Assad’s forces have been holding their own.
Image via nytco.comMomentum appeared to build Tuesday for Western military action against Syria, with the U.S. and France saying they are in position for a strike, while the government in Damascus vowed to use all possible measures to repel it.
syracuse.comWestern envoys have told the Syrian opposition to expect a military response soon against President Bashar al-Assad’s forces as punishment for a chemical weapons attack last week
Amid a quickening drum beat of preparations, U.S. Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel said American forces in the region were “ready to go” if President Barack Obama gave the order.
firstpost.com
Syria agrees to UN chemical probe, US eyes military action
United Nations weapons experts are due on Monday to inspect a site where poison gas killed many hundreds of people in Damascus suburbs, amid calls from Western capitals for military action to punish the world's worst apparent chemical weapons attack in 25 years.
iol.co.za
The UN's disarmament chief negotiated with the Syrian government, as the BBC's Yolande Knell in Beirut explains
Image via bbcimg.co.ukSyria agreed on Sunday to allow the inspectors to visit the site. The United States and its allies say evidence has been destroyed by government shelling of the area over the past five days, and the Syrian offer to allow inspectors came too late.
A year ago, US President Barack Obama said the use of chemical weapons by the Syrian government would be "a red line" that could trigger US military action. Washington has bolstered its naval presence in the eastern Mediterranean as it considers its options.
Syrian gas attack: What we know
01:15: 21 August (10:15 GMT 20 Aug): Facebook pages of Syrian opposition report heavy fighting in rebel-held eastern districts of the Ghouta, the agricultural belt around Damascus 02:45: Opposition posts Facebook report of "chemical shelling" in Ein Tarma area of the Ghouta 02:47: Second opposition report says chemical weapons used in Zamalka area of the Ghouta Unverified video footage shows people being treated on pavements in the dark and in a makeshift hospital Reports say chemical weapons were used in Ghouta towns of Irbin, Jobar, Zamalka and Ein Tarma as well as in Muadhamiya to the west, but this is not confirmed Syrian government acknowledges military offensive in the Ghouta but denies chemical weapons use
Image via bbcimg.co.ukAid group confirms Syrian ‘toxic gas’ attack, 355 dead says medical charity Medecins Sans Frontieres
An aid group has confirmed that a Syrian “toxic gas” attack killed 355 people on Wednesday. The group, Doctors Without Borders, added that three hospitals it supports received about 3,600 patients with “neurotoxic symptoms” in less than three hours.
inquisitr.com
Opposition estimates for the death toll have ranged from 500 to well over double that number, but, with UN observers unable to visit the site, there has been no independent verification.
in.comThe confirmation comes as Syrian state media accused rebels of carrying out the attack against government troops. But of those killed, 54 were children, 83 were women, and several others were fighters.
Death tolls have varied in the aftermath of the attack and there is no way to verify the totals 100 percent. Syrian anti-government activists reported between 322 and 1,300 dead.
inquisitr.com
France says it's time to use force in Syria, while U.N. chief asks Damascus to allow speedy chemical attack investigation
AS the death toll continued to rise from the suspected nerve gas attack, French officials were calling for force to be used against Bashar al-Assad.
dailyrecord.co.uk
A Syrian couple mourn in front of bodies after what rebels said was a toxic gas attack in Ghouta on August 21, 2013 (SHAAM NEWS NETWORK/AFP/File, Ammar al-Arbini)
Image via news.com.auFrance’s foreign minister Laurent Fabius said: “We need a reaction by the international community .... a reaction of force.” He ruled out sending in troops but called for “a reaction that can take a form, I don’t want to be more precise, of force.”
thecourier.co.uk
More than 6000 survivors are suffering breathing difficulties after the worst suspected chemical attack since Saddam Hussein’s gassing of 7000 Kurds in 1988.
U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon asked the Syrian government on Thursday to allow U.N. inspectors to investigate "without delay" the latest alleged chemical attack in the country's civil war and grant them access to the site near Damascus.
indianexpress.com"I can think of no good reason why any party, either government or opposition forces - would decline this opportunity to get to the truth of the matter," the UN chief said.
PHOTO: Demonstrators calling for help from Barack Obama on the Syrian revolution outside the White House
Demonstrators calling for help from Barack Obama on the Syrian revolution outside the White House on August 21, 2013 (AFP/File, Paul J. Richards)
Image via google.comWATCH: A video showing some men, women and children who were reportedly recovering from the attack
IN PICTURES: Horrifying images in Syria after what may have been the worst chemical weapons attack in decades
Syrian men in Arbeen town, an eastern suburb of Damascus, Syria, were among more than 200 killed in what two pro-opposition groups claimed was a "poisonous gas."
Image via nydailynews.com
With no evidence of gunshot wounds, the apparently dead children appear to have been killed by gas
Image via dailyexpress.co.uk
Foreign Secretary William Hague said if the claims were true it would mark a "shocking escalation"
Image via dailyexpress.co.uk
A series of chilling photographs were released today claiming to show evidence of chemical weapons.
Image via dailyexpress.co.uk
This citizen journalism image provided by the local committee of Arbeen which has been authenticated based on its contents, shows Syrian citizens receiving treatment after an alleged poisonous gas attack fired by President Bashar al-Assad's forces, according to activists in Arbeen town near Damascus on August 21, 2013. (Via AP)
Image via imgur.com
A handout image released by the Syrian opposition's Shaam News Network shows bodies of children wrapped in shrouds laid out on the ground as Syrian rebels claim they were killed in a toxic gas attack by pro-government forces in eastern Ghouta, on the outskirts of Damascus on August 21, 2013. (Via AFP)
Image via akamaihd.netThe attack is believed to have come from chemical weapons on rockets that hit the neighborhoods of Ain Tarma, Zamalka and Jobar just before dawn
One nurse told Reuters that the death toll was 213, but reports from rebel groups put the number at over 750. Estimates appear to be rising.
aljazeera.comIf that figure is true, what is happening on the outskirts of Damascus today is the worst chemical weapons attack since then-Iraqi President Saddam Hussein unleashed poison gas on the Kurdish town of Halabja in 1988, killing an estimated 5,000 people.
foreignpolicy.comThe attack coincided with the visit by a 20-member UN chemical weapons team to Syria to investigate three sites where chemical weapons attacks allegedly occurred over the past year.
aljazeera.comBashar al Assad's Syrian government is denying the reports, with state television saying that reports of an attack are being put out by rebels to distract a team of United Nations chemical weapons experts in the Syrian capital.
businessinsider.com
The U.N. Security Council scheduled emergency consultations Wednesday on the latest allegation of chemical weapons use in Syria
U.N. vehicles transporting a team of United Nations chemical weapons experts arrive in Damascus August 18, 2013. REUTERS/Khaled al-Hariri
Image via dailystar.com.lbU.N. deputy spokesman Eduardo del Buey said the secretary-general is "shocked" at Wednesday's alleged use of chemical weapons on the eastern suburbs of Damascus.
Britain and France drafted a letter to the secretary-general requesting that the chemical weapons team investigate Wednesday's incident, and other countries including the United States have signed it, U.N. diplomats said.
winnipegfreepress.com
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