By IANS/RIA Novosti,
United Nations: The UN has received Syria’s request to create a group of independent investigators to probe an alleged chemical attack in the country, according to the UN secretary general’s press service.
“A written request has now been received from the Syrian authorities and it is being studied,” the press office said in a note.
On Tuesday, the Syrian government and opposition rebels traded accusations of the use of chemical weapons during fighting in the northern Syrian province of Aleppo.
Syria’s state news agency SANA accused anti-government militants of firing a rocket containing chemical agents into a village near the provincial capital of Aleppo, reportedly killing at least 25 people.
Around 110 people are reported to be injured.
Opposition forces have denied reports of the attack and instead accused the government of using chemical weapons.
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon held a phone conversation Tuesday with Director General of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) Ahmet Uzumcu, in which he reiterated that “the use of chemical weapons by any party under any
circumstances would constitute an outrageous crime.”
Syria’s UN envoy Bashar Jaafari said Wednesday he had requested the secretary general “to form a specialised, independent and neutral technical mission” for an investigation into the attack, Al-Arabiya reported.