The U.N. inspection team has reportedly collected a “wealth” of evidence regarding the use of chemical weapons by the government of Bashir al-Assad…but will not actually make a direct accusation against it.
Three U.N. diplomats connected to the investigation have told Foreign Policy magazine the team will present a very strong circumstantial case pointing strongly in the direction of the Syrian government. Continue reading
Russia’s plan to have Syria surrender all chemical weapons is causing problems at the United Nations as multiple countries demand specific dates for the handoff.
The U.K., U.S. and France are demanding a timetable and consequences for that timetable not being met by Syria. American officials said they will “not fall for stalling tactics.” Continue reading
Russia surprised the international community by announcing Monday they would push for Syria to surrender their chemical weapons to an international group and then quickly dismantle them in an attempt to stave off a U.S. missile strike.
The announcement came hours after U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry had said Syrian President Assad could resolve the crisis by surrendering the weapons. Kerry also said he believed Assad “isn’t about to do it.” Continue reading
While Great Britain withdraws from action against Syria after a vote in their parliament and President Obama defers a decision on action to Congress, France has come out declaring boldly that the Syrian government is behind the chemical weapons attack that led to hundreds of deaths.
France is pushing for military action to punish the Assad regime for killing civilians with chemical weapons. Continue reading
A report in the Independent newspaper in London shows that the British government authorized the export of two chemicals that can create Sarin gas to be sold and shipped to Syria last year.
Business Secretary Vince Cable is now facing an inquiry by British members of parliament about the sale and approval. Continue reading
The U.K. Is preparing a resolution to submit to the U.N. Security Council opening the door to possible military intervention against the al-Assad government for use of chemical weapons on civilians.
Prime Minister David Cameron said Britain’s National Security Council had unanimously supported action against Syria. The resolution will be presented today at a meeting of the five permanent members of the Security Council. Continue reading
The Arab League has officially blamed the Syrian government for the chemical weapons attack that killed over 300 civilians one week ago.
The group held an emergency meeting on Tuesday and called for the United Nations Security Council to “overcome their differences” and take action against those who committed “this heinous crime”. The ministerial level of the League is meeting next week to discuss next steps against Syria. Continue reading
The United Nations is sending strongly worded complaints to the Syrian government after the body’s chemical weapon inspection team was fired upon by snipers as they tried to reach the site of last Wednesday’s chemical weapons attack.
The team was forced to retreat when one of their cars was struck by sniper fire in the tires and windshield. They were entering an area considered a “buffer zone” between rebels and government troops at the time of the attack according to the BBC. Continue reading
The Syrian government, almost a week after a chemical weapons attack killed more than 300 people, is finally allowing United Nations inspectors to visit the site.
The team is scheduled to arrive some time Monday although U.K. Foreign Secretary William Teague says evidence could have been tampered with, degraded or even destroyed in the days since the Wednesday attack. Continue reading
Syrian opposition leaders say the government launched a chemical weapons attack overnight, killing entirely families while they slept. An official death toll has not been released but most activist groups place the number of dead in the hundreds.
The toxic attack was launched in the suburbs of the Ghouta region as part of an assault on rebel forces according to the BBC. Continue reading
