Turkey: Tests confirm sarin gas used in Syria
Russians to ask experts to inspect base
BEIRUT — Turkey’s health minister said yesterday that test results confirm sarin gas was used in an attack on a northern Syrian town earlier this month and the Russian military said the Syrian government is willing to let international experts examine its military base for signs of chemical weapons.
Col. Gen. Sergei Rudskoy of the Russian General Staff said in televised remarks that Russia will provide security for international inspectors seeking to examine Syrian bases, and that Damascus has agreed to allow the inspections. His comments came shortly after Russian President Vladimir Putin said Moscow will appeal to the United Nations to investigate the attack on Khan Sheikhoun.
The April 4 chemical weapons attack on the rebel-held town in Idlib province left nearly 90 people dead. The United States blamed President Bashar Assad’s government and launched nearly 60 cruise missiles Friday at the Shayrat air base in the central province of Homs, where it claims the attack originated.
Moscow, which is a strong backer of the Syrian government, has dismissed suggestions that Damascus could be behind the attack. The Syrian government also denied the allegation, saying its air force bombed a rebel arsenal that had chemical weapons stored inside.
Putin told reporters yesterday that Russia would appeal to a U.N. agency in the Hague, urging it to launch an official probe. The Russian president also said Moscow has received intelligence about planned “provocations” using chemical weapons that would be used to pin the blame on the Syrian government.
The Russian statements came as U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson arrived in Moscow, where he will meet Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov today.
In Turkey, a main backer of the Syrian opposition, Health Minister Recep Akdag said test results conducted on victims of the Khan Sheikhoun attack confirm that sarin gas was used. Akdag said that blood and urine samples taken from the victims confirmed that they were subjected to the nerve agent. His comments were reported by the state-run Anadolu news agency.
Turkey last week conducted autopsies on three victims of the gas attack who were brought from Syria. Officials from the World Health Organization and the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons participated in the autopsies.