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Middle East and North Africa

UN chemical arms experts to start work August 19

The group led by Swedish professor Ake Sellstrom will stay in Syria for 14 days

Photo EPA/ITAR-TASS Archive

Photo EPA/ITAR-TASS Archive

UNITED NATIONS ORGANISATION, August 18 (Itar-Tass) - U.N. chemical arms experts have arrived in Syria to investigate chemical attacks, the U.N. Secretariat reported on Sunday.

The experts arrived in Damascus on August 18. The mission will start working on Monday, August 19, the U.N. Secretary-General’s spokesman, Martin Nesirky, said.

The group led by Swedish professor Ake Sellstrom will stay in Syria for 14 days. The term can be extended “on mutual accord”, the spokesman said.

The group includes nine experts of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons and the World Health Organisation, as well as representatives of the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council (Russia, Britain, China, the U.S. and France). In compliance with the agreement reached with the Syrian government inspectors will investigate three chemical attacks. The inspectors will visit Khan al-Assal where militants used sarin on March 19.

Britain, the United States and France gave the U.N. Secretariat reports on the use of chemical weapons in Syria - 13 attacks with the use of toxic agents.

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