DAMASCUS: UN Under Secretary General Angela Kane arrived in Syria’s capital Saturday for talks aimed at establishing the terms of an inquiry into alleged chemical weapons attacks, an AFP journalist said.
Kane’s visit comes after UN chief Ban Ki-moon handed her the task and called for Syria’s regime and its opponents to cooperate in the UN efforts to establish an investigation into the attacks said to have killed hundreds of people near Damascus on Wednesday.
President Hassan Rowhani of Iran, Damascus’s chief regional ally, earlier pointed to the use of chemical weapons in Syria for the first time, three days after the deadly attacks that a growing number of Western states are blaming on the Syrian government.
Against that backdrop, US Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel strongly suggested the Pentagon was moving forces into place ahead of possible military action against Syria, even as President Barack Obama voiced caution.
US commanders have nevertheless prepared a range of “options” for Obama if he chooses to proceed with military strikes against Damascus, Hagel told reporters aboard his plane en route to Malaysia on Friday.
“The Defence Department has a responsibility to provide the president with options for all contingencies,” he said.
“And that requires positioning our forces, positioning our assets to be able to carry out different options — whatever the president might choose.”
But Hagel declined to provide any details on the positioning of US ships, aircraft or troops, as the Obama administration reportedly contemplated cruise missile strikes against President Bashar al-Assad’s forces.
Hagel’s comments came as a defence official said the US Navy would expand its presence in the Mediterranean with a fourth warship armed with cruise missiles.
Britain accused Damascus of unleashing the weapons and France has called for “force” if the claims were confirmed.
UN chief Ban Ki-moon stepped up the pressure by announcing that Under Secretary General Angela Kane was headed to Damascus for talks, his spokesman said.
Ban was determined to “conduct a thorough, impartial and prompt investigation” into the chemical claims, a statement said.
“The Secretary General urges the Syrian authorities to respond positively and promptly to his request without delay,” it said, adding Ban also called on Syrian rebels to cooperate with the mission.
Opponents of Assad said the Syrian president’s forces used chemical weapons east and southwest of Damascus in attacks Wednesday that killed hundreds.
The regime has strongly denied the accusations.
Harrowing footage released by activists showing unconscious children, people foaming around the mouth and doctors apparently giving them oxygen has triggered revulsion around the world.
British Foreign Secretary William Hague blamed Syria and demanded it grant immediate access to UN inspectors who have been in the country since Sunday to probe three other sites.
“We do believe this is a chemical attack by the Assad regime on a large scale, but we would like the United Nations to be able to assess that,” he said.
Russia urged Damascus to cooperate with the UN but dismissed calls for use of force against its ally.
The foreign ministry said Internet footage distributed by the opposition said to implicate the regime had been posted “several hours before the so-called attack”.
“Against the background of another anti-Syrian wave of propaganda, we believe calls from some European countries to apply pressure on the UN Security Council and already now take a decision on the use of force are unacceptable,” it said.
Syria’s main opposition National Coalition pledged to guarantee the safety of the UN inspectors, warning the “clock is ticking” before alleged evidence vanishes.
So far, the government in Damascus has not said whether it will let the inspectors visit the sites.
The Coalition says more than 1,300 people were killed in gas attacks southwest and east of the capital.
Obama said the allegations were more serious than previous ones against Assad’s regime.
“We are right now gathering information about this particular event,” he said, while warning against the United States intervening hastily and getting “mired in very difficult situations”.
One year ago, Obama warned the use of chemical weapons in Syria would cross a “red line” and have “enormous consequences”.
Iran’s President Rowhani “totally and vigorously” condemned the use of chemical weapons in Syria.
“The situation prevailing in Syria today and the death of a certain number of innocent people caused by chemical weapons is very distressing,” Rowhani said in a government statement.
The United Nations says more than 100,000 people have been killed in Syria since an uprising against Assad’s rule flared in March 2011, while millions more have fled the country or been internally displaced.
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