Inspectors enter Syria as the war of words hots up

INTERNATIONAL inspectors were due to begin work yesterday at the site near Damascus of an alleged chemical attack that prompted a wave of Western strikes against Syria.

American, British and French missiles destroyed sites suspected of hosting chemical weapons development and storage facilities, but the buildings were mostly empty and the Western trio swiftly reverted to its diplomatic efforts.

The United States trumpeted the “perfectly executed” strike, the biggest international attack on Syria during its seven-year war, but both Damascus and Syria’s opposition rubbished its impact. Syrian President Bashar al-Assad yesterday denounced a “campaign of deceit and lies at the (United Nations) Security Council” after a push by Moscow to condemn the strikes fell far short.

Syria and its Russian ally are “waging a single battle — not only against terrorism, but also to protect international law based on the respect of the sovereignty of states and the will of their people,” Assad’s office quoted him saying during a meeting with Russian politicians.

Further actions violating the United Nations charter like the US-led strikes on Syria will result in chaos in international relations, Russian President Vladimir Putin told his Iranian counterpart Hassan Ruhani over phone yesterday.

The two leaders condemned Saturday’s airstrikes and said it would hinder the process of a political settlement in Syria.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying on Saturday urged the relevant parties to return to the framework of international law and resolve the Syria issue through dialogue and negotiation.

China opposed the use of force in international relations and called for respect for other countries’ sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity.

Regarding the alleged poison gas attack, Hua said China believes a comprehensive, impartial and objective investigation should be carried out to reach a reliable conclusion. “Before that, a prejudgment should not be made,” she said.

A team of chemical experts from the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, based in The Hague, arrived in Damascus hours after the strikes. They have been tasked with investigating the site of an April 7 attack in the town of Douma, just east of the capital Damascus, which Western powers said involved chlorine and sarin and killed dozens.

“The fact-finding team arrived in Damascus on Saturday and is due to go to Douma on Sunday,” Syria’s Deputy Foreign Minister Ayman Soussan said.

“We will ensure they can work professionally, objectively, impartially and free of any pressure,” he said.

The inspectors will face a difficult task, with all key players having pre-empted their findings.