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Syrian rebels used Sarin nerve gas, not Assads regime: U.N. official
COMMENTS (17) SIZE: + / PRINT | REPRINTS

By Shaun Waterman - The Washington Times

Monday, May 6, 2013

Testimony from victims strongly suggests it was the rebels, not the Syrian government , that used Sarin nerve gas during a recent incident in the revolution-wracked nation, a senior U.N. diplomat said Monday. Carla del Ponte , a member of the U.N. Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Syria , told Swiss TV there were strong, concrete suspicions but not yet incontrovertible proof, that rebels seeking to oust Syrian strongman Bashar al-Assad had used the nerve agent.

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SEE RELATED: Obama hunts for new strategy after misreading power of Syrias Assad But she said her panel had not yet seen any evidence of Syrian government forces using chemical weapons, according to the BBC , but she added that more investigation was needed. Damascus has recently facing growing Western accusations that its forces used such weapons, which President Obama has described as crossing a red line. But Ms. del Ponte s remarks may serve to shift the focus of international concern.
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Ms. del Ponte , who in 1999 was appointed to head the U.N. was crimes tribunals for Yugoslavia and Rwanda , has sometimes been a controversial figure. She was removed from her Rwanda post by the U.N. Security Council in 2003, but she continued as the chief prosecutor for the Yugoslav tribunal until 2008. Ms. del Ponte , a former Swiss prosecutor and attorney general, told Swiss TV: Our investigators have been in neighboring countries interviewing victims, doctors and field hospitals. According to their report of last week, which I have seen, there are strong, concrete suspicions but not yet incontrovertible proof of the use of sarin gas, from the way the victims were treated.

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Politics Carla Del Ponte Syria Un Independent International Commission Of Inquiry

She gave no further details, the BBC said.

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The UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Syria was established in August 2011 to examine alleged violations of human rights in the Syrian conflict which started in March that year.

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SEE RELATED: Israel returns to business as usual after strikes on Syria It is due to issue its next report to the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva in June. Rebel Free Syrian Army spokesman Louay Almokdad denied that rebels had use chemical weapons. In any case, we dont have the mechanism to launch these kinds of weapons, which would need missiles that can carry chemical warheads, and we in the FSA do not possess these kind of capabilities, Mr. Almokdad told CNN. More importantly, we do not aspire to have (chemical weapons) because we view our battle with the regime as a battle for the establishment of a free democratic state. We want to build a free democratic state that recognizes and abides by all international accords and agreements and chemical and biological warfare is something forbidden legally and internationally.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Shaun Waterman
Shaun Waterman is an award-winning reporter for The Washington Times, covering foreign affairs, defense and cybersecurity. He was a senior editor and correspondent for United Press International for nearly a decade, and has covered the Department of Homeland Security since 2003. His reporting on the Sept. 11 Commission and the tortuous process by which some of its recommendations finally became ...

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Richard Banderas

a month ago

Make no mistake that the "MUSLIM BROTHERHOOD" , who are the rebels that Obama is supporting are the culprits to using the Sarin nerve gas on the innocent. Not saying to support the present Syrian Govt, but two wrongs don't make it right! Obama needs to stand down on supporting the same rebels who took over Egypt, Libya etc arab spring....We are creating more Irans in the Mideast..more radical enemies who want the west destroyed. WAKE UP AMERICA!
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Keith Cossairt

a month ago

Healing Powers of Vinegar Help Many Diseases Ted Cruz: Obama 'Biggest Obstacle' to Immigration Reform Supporters Seen Wearing Navy SEALs Hat to

why is this storey burried ? should not it be a headline news ?

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Doakes

a month ago

Rebels aka terrorist. WOW i cant believe USA still working with them despite 9/11. Im starting to believe usa have strong love for them. Maybe the USA government have sexual relationship with them who knows?
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michealmag@yahoo.com

a month ago

Had bush & cheny been in office we would be at war now only to find out later we was tricked again. Obama his pissed me off one too many times with his WEAKNESS however at least he got this right. Now do we reward the rebels with arms after they have used sarin gas.
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Soulice

a month ago

When you draw a line in the sand.... desperate people do desperate things to get you to cross it and help.
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michealmag@yahoo.com

> Soulice a month ago

That is exactly what the rebels did.

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Wilder Napalm

a month ago

OK so where did they get it? As far as anyone knows Assad's Chems are still secure. So where did they get Sarin gas from?
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michealmag@yahoo.com

> Wilder Napalm a month ago

The logical answer is Mossad.

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Wilder Napalm

> michealmag@yahoo.com a month ago

NSA out of control: We the people at fault

I seriously doubt Mossad would ever release Sarin to an insurgent group. That would be beyond stupid.

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In a world that is increasingly complex, we need to seek greater awareness of the blending of cultures and America's changing role in a global community.

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TWTfan

> Wilder Napalm a month ago

Explaining the differences between Sunni and Shia Muslims Tony Blair speaks out about Islam, but fails to go far enough

Do you really believe the UN?

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Wilder Napalm

> TWTfan a month ago

That's my point dude. They made the claim with no evidence just hear say. My question stands, where did the insurgents get Sarin from.
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Herbert_Philbrick
a month ago

Television commentary, reviews, news and nonstop DVR catch-up

Don't confuse us with the facts... we want an excuse to attack another one of israel's "enemies".
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lillac

> Herbert_Philbrick a month ago

I think George W. Bush is to blame. Again.

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Hobbes_Wayne

a month ago

Does Obama's "red line" apply to the rebels? The conundrum is, where did they get the Sarin gas? Libya? Is this what Obama was trying to hide in Benghazi? Opportunistic chaos is creating one crisis to cover another. Problem is that it is uncontrollable, like a virus and it seems that Obama's paradigm may consume him.

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cammo99

a month ago

There are analysts who claim the Israeli's hit the 501st Chemical Unit when it took out the Iranian missiles packed and traveling to the Hezballah in Lebanon. The reports in the USA seemed to have come from Al-Jazeera or "radical activist" sources, and claimed as always the Israeli's only took out civilians. It was my first reaction that the incident may have been the Jihadis grabbed some