This article is from the source 'nytimes' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/26/world/middleeast/syria-says-un-will-get-access-to-site-of-possible-chemical-attack.html

The article has changed 14 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 0 Version 1
Syria Says U.N. Will Get Access to Site of Possible Chemical Attack ‘Little Doubt’ of Chemical Attack by Syria, White House Says
(about 1 hour later)
The Syrian foreign ministry said on Sunday that the government had agreed to give United Nations inspectors access to a site where a chemical weapons attack was said to have killed hundreds of civilians. WASHINGTON — In what appeared to be a step closer to American military action in Syria, a senior Obama administration official said on Sunday that there was “very little doubt” that President Bashar al-Assad’s military forces had used chemical weapons against civilians last week and that a promise to allow United Nations inspectors access to the site was“too late to be credible.”
In the statement on the state-run SANA news agency, the ministry said the two sides were working to set a date for the visit, though the United Nations said in its own statement that inspectors would begin an on-site inspection beginning on Monday. The official, in a carefully worded written statement, said that “based on the reported number of victims, reported symptoms of those who were killed or injured, witness accounts and other facts gathered by open sources, the U.S. intelligence community, and international partners, there is very little doubt at this point that a chemical weapon was used by the Syrian regime against civilians in this incident.”
The foreign ministry said that Syria was ready to cooperate with the inspectors “to expose the false allegations of the terrorist groups accusing the Syrian forces of using chemical weapons.” The official, who released the statement under the condition of anonymity, described the attack on Wednesday in a Damascus suburb, which reportedly killed hundreds of civilians, as “indiscriminate,” suggesting that the episode might be different from earlier, smaller-scale suspected chemical attacks.
The government has denied that it used chemical weapons, and on Saturday it said its soldiers had found chemical supplies in areas seized from rebel forces. Russia, an ally of the Syrian government led by President Bashar al-Assad, accused the rebels of using the weapons, but few analysts believe they have the supplies or ability to do so. But the official did not suggest that President Obama, who has been extremely reluctant to involve American forces directly in another conflict in the Middle East, had decided on a military response. “We are continuing to assess the facts so the president can make an informed decision about how to respond to this indiscriminate use of chemical weapons,” the official said.
On Saturday, an international aid group said that on the morning of the reported attack, medical centers it supported near the site had received more than 3,000 patients showing symptoms consistent with exposure to toxic nerve agents. White House administration officials said on Sunday that Syrian officials had refused to let United Nations inspector see the site of the attack. But Syrian television subsequently reported that there was an agreement to allow access beginning on Monday. The administration official who released the statement said the offer, even if sincere, might be meaningless because of the time that had already passed since the attack.
Of those, 355 died, said the group, Doctors Without Borders. “The evidence available has been significantly corrupted as a result of the regime’s persistent shelling and other intentional actions over the last five days,” the official said. Determining the nature of the attack could affect the course of Western involvement in the civil war.
In a statement on the state-run SANA news agency, the Syrian Foreign Ministry said the government was ready to cooperate with the United Nations inspectors “to expose the false allegations of the terrorist groups accusing the Syrian forces of using chemical weapons.”
The Syrian government has denied that it used chemical weapons, and on Saturday it said its soldiers had found chemical supplies in areas seized from rebel forces. Russia, an ally of the Syrian government’s, accused the rebels of using the weapons, but few analysts believe they have the supplies or ability to do so.
On Saturday, Doctors Without Borders, an international aid group, said that on the morning of the reported attack, medical centers it supported near the site received about 3,600 patients showing symptoms consistent with exposure to toxic nerve agents.
Of those, 355 died, the aid group said.
The statement was the first issued by an international organization working in Syria about the attack on Wednesday in the suburbs northeast of Damascus. Anti-government activists have said that hundreds of people were killed when government forces pelted the area with rockets spewing poisoned gas.The statement was the first issued by an international organization working in Syria about the attack on Wednesday in the suburbs northeast of Damascus. Anti-government activists have said that hundreds of people were killed when government forces pelted the area with rockets spewing poisoned gas.
Determining the nature of the attack on Wednesday could affect the course of Western involvement in the war, and the United States, Russia and others had been calling for a United Nations team, sent to Syria to investigate past suspected chemical weapons use, to be given access to the latest site.
Doctors Without Borders said it could not confirm what substances caused the symptoms it reported on Saturday or who was responsible for the attack, but its report appears to lend credibility to other accounts by witnesses and to the opposition’s estimates of the number of dead.Doctors Without Borders said it could not confirm what substances caused the symptoms it reported on Saturday or who was responsible for the attack, but its report appears to lend credibility to other accounts by witnesses and to the opposition’s estimates of the number of dead.
The aid group said the symptoms were reported by three medical facilities it supported in the area of the reported attack. The group’s statement said that during three hours on Wednesday morning, the clinics received about 3,600 patients who had symptoms indicating exposure to a chemical nerve agent, including breathing problems, dilated pupils, convulsions, foaming at the mouth and blurred vision. Many of the medics in the centers also experienced some symptoms, said Stephen Cornish, one of the group’s executive directors. One of the medics died. The aid group said the symptoms were reported by three medical facilities it supported in the area of the reported attack. The group’s statement said that during three hours on Wednesday morning, the clinics received patients who had symptoms indicating exposure to a chemical nerve agent, including breathing problems, dilated pupils, convulsions, foaming at the mouth and blurred vision. Many of the medics in the centers also experienced some symptoms, said Stephen Cornish, one of the group’s executive directors. One of the medics died.
“When you put these elements together,” he said, “what it suggests to us is a neurotoxic agent.”“When you put these elements together,” he said, “what it suggests to us is a neurotoxic agent.”
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said on Saturday that it had confirmed the deaths of 322 people in the attack, including 54 children, 82 women, 16 people who could not be identified and dozens of rebel fighters. The group, based in Britain, said its activists had visited the area, spoken to residents and collected medical reports and videos indicating that most of the people dead were killed by exposure to toxic gas.The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said on Saturday that it had confirmed the deaths of 322 people in the attack, including 54 children, 82 women, 16 people who could not be identified and dozens of rebel fighters. The group, based in Britain, said its activists had visited the area, spoken to residents and collected medical reports and videos indicating that most of the people dead were killed by exposure to toxic gas.
Last year, President Obama called the use of chemical arms in Syria a red line that could prompt a harsh American response, but recent statements by American officials saying they believed that Mr. Assad’s forces had used chemical weapons “on a small scale” several times in the past year have not led to a significant public change in American involvement in the war. Last year, Mr. Obama called the use of chemical arms in Syria a red line that could prompt a harsh American response, but recent statements by American officials saying they believed that Mr. Assad’s forces had used chemical weapons “on a small scale” several times in the past year have not led to a significant public change in American involvement in the war.
Mr. Obama has supported an investigation into Wednesday’s attack, but he has expressed hesitance about getting the United States involved militarily. After the president met with his national security staff on Wednesday, the White House issued a statement, slightly less assertive than the British one, saying that American intelligence agencies were still trying to “gather facts to ascertain what occurred.”Mr. Obama has supported an investigation into Wednesday’s attack, but he has expressed hesitance about getting the United States involved militarily. After the president met with his national security staff on Wednesday, the White House issued a statement, slightly less assertive than the British one, saying that American intelligence agencies were still trying to “gather facts to ascertain what occurred.”
The White House said Mr. Obama “received a detailed review of a range of potential options” at the meeting, but the statement did not specify what the options were. The White House official said Mr. Obama had “received a detailed review of a range of potential options” at the meeting, but the statement did not specify what the options were.
Stepping up the pace of consultations, Secretary of State John Kerry made a series of calls on Saturday to his counterparts in Turkey, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia. Mr. Kerry also called Nabil Elaraby, the secretary general of the Arab League.Stepping up the pace of consultations, Secretary of State John Kerry made a series of calls on Saturday to his counterparts in Turkey, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia. Mr. Kerry also called Nabil Elaraby, the secretary general of the Arab League.
In those calls, Mr. Kerry underscored the “gravity of any chemical weapons use” and stressed the importance of quickly determining the facts, a senior State Department official said.In those calls, Mr. Kerry underscored the “gravity of any chemical weapons use” and stressed the importance of quickly determining the facts, a senior State Department official said.
Pentagon officials said Saturday that Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, would leave for Jordan this weekend to attend a long-scheduled meeting of regional military chiefs at which the situation in Syria was certain to be discussed. Pentagon officials also said that the Navy had increased its presence in the eastern Mediterranean Sea to four destroyers, each carrying long-range Tomahawk cruise missiles similar to those launched in past American attacks on Afghanistan, Iraq and Libya. Pentagon officials said Saturday that Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, would leave for Jordan this weekend to attend a long-scheduled meeting of regional military chiefs at which the situation in Syria was certain to be discussed. Pentagon officials also said that the Navy had increased its presence in the eastern Mediterranean Sea to four destroyers, each carrying long-range Tomahawk cruise missiles similar to those launched in past American attacks on Afghanistan, Iraq and Libya.
The Navy historically has deployed two destroyers in the eastern Mediterranean, but had quietly added one more over recent months. The Navy’s commander in the region added a fourth, at least temporarily, by delaying a scheduled return to port for one warship and accelerating the arrival of its replacement.The Navy historically has deployed two destroyers in the eastern Mediterranean, but had quietly added one more over recent months. The Navy’s commander in the region added a fourth, at least temporarily, by delaying a scheduled return to port for one warship and accelerating the arrival of its replacement.
While the Syrian government has not publicly responded to the demands to let inspectors visit the site, on Saturday it stepped up its efforts to blame rebels for the attack, first announcing on state-run television that its soldiers had found a tunnel filled with chemical compounds near the attack site and that some of the soldiers were choking and had to be evacuated.

Scott Shane reported from Washington and Ben Hubbard from Beirut, Lebanon. Michael R. Gordon and Thom Shanker contributed reporting from Washington.

Also, in an interview with Lebanon-based Al-Mayadeen TV, Syria’s information minister, Omran al-Zoubi, dismissed the possibility of an American attack, warning that such a move would risk triggering more violence in the region, reported The Associated Press. “The basic repercussion would be a ball of fire that would burn not only Syria but the whole Middle East,” Mr. Zoubi said. “An attack on Syria would be no easy trip.”

Michael R. Gordon and Thom Shanker contributed reporting.