Chemical inspectors reach Douma
Syrian town site of suspected gas attack on rebels
DAMASCUS, Syria — International chemical weapons inspectors Tuesday entered Douma, the Syrian town that was the site of a suspected poison gas attack that led to Western airstrikes against the Syrian government, state media reported.
The team from the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons arrived in the suburb east of the capital, 10 days after the alleged attack, raising concerns that any evidence the inspectors find could be useless.
On Monday, OPCW Director-general Ahmet Uzumcu said Syrian and Russian authorities had blocked its inspectors from going to Douma and instead offered them 22 people to interview as witnesses.
Journalists in Damascus were prevented by government minders from contacting the OPCW inspectors, and The Hague-based organization refused to comment on “operational details regarding the Douma deployment.”
British Prime Minister Theresa May accused the Syrian government and its ally Russia of trying to cover up evidence and obstruct the investigation.
The OPCW is investigating reports that government forces gassed sites in Douma on April 7, when the town was still held by rebels.
The U.S. and France say they have evidence that Syrian President Bashar Assad’s military was behind the poison gas attack, but they have made none of that evidence public. On Saturday, the U.S., France and Britain bombarded sites they said were linked to Syria’s chemical weapons program.
Journalists were allowed access to Douma on Monday. The Associated Press spoke to survivors and witnesses who described being hit by gas, fainting, and discovering their relatives had died.
The Syrian government and
Russia have denied using chemical weapons and accused rebels, with Western backing, of using such weapons or faking such an attack.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova dismissed allegations that Russia was trying to hamper the OPCW inspectors, saying Moscow strongly supports their mission to Douma.
Russian President Vladimir Putin told German Chancellor Angela Merkel that the Western strikes had violated international law and set back the peace process, the Kremlin said.
But French President Emmanual Macron defended the military action in an impassioned and at times angry speech to the European parliament.
The alleged attack and subsequent military response underscored the challenge that the seven-year conflict in Syria poses for the West. President Donald Trump wants to remove U.S. troops from Syria, where it has been fighting the Islamic State militants.