UN Report On Syria Will Show Assad Government Used Chemical Weapons
An UN report on Syria on the August 21 chemical weapons attacks in Damascus will show Assad’s government as responsible. Though the UN report is supposed to avoid pointing the finger at the attackers, the evidence alone will suggest who was behind the massacre, insider sources claim.
The August 21 chemical weapons attacks have become the center of much international attention. Their use, which President Obama says crosses the “red line,” has led to a fierce debate over possible military intervention in Syria. Estimates of deaths from the attack range from several hundred to well over 1,400, reports Reuters.
A declassified US intelligence report presented by Secretary of State John Kerry places blame for the gas attack at Assad’s feet. Many have insisted on waiting for the official UN report before jumping to conclusions. Citing the US intelligence report, Kerry has argued that the UN investigation would have the same findings.
The UN report on Syria has not yet been formally released. However, several Western officials say the data will prove to be strong clues pointing to the attack as a government action. According to The Telegraph, findings by the UN team could be used to discover who made and used the chemical weapons. Tests may be able to find a difference between homemade and military-grade sarin gas.
If the gas can be shown to be military in nature, this will look very bad for the Syrian government. Assad’s regime is known to have stockpiles of several types of chemical weapons as well as launch systems. Experts believe it is not likely Syrian rebels could get these weapons or know how to use them.
Syria has recently agreed to a proposal put forth by Russia to hand over all chemical weapons to international authorities. Syria has also said they intend to sign onto the Chemical Weapons Convention, which bans the use of all chemical weapons.
Formal announcement of findings from the UN report on Syria’s chemical weapons attack may come before the end of the week.
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