Russia might have just blinked. Foreign MInister Sergei Lavrov has asked Syria to collaborate in the UN chemical weapons abuse investigation.
Lavrov today spoke with US Foreign Minister John Kerry on the need for Syria to collaborate in the investigation, on the heels of the new and much larger incident of suspected sarin poisoning in Damascus that occurred on Wednesday last.
Lavrov also signified that the rebels have equal responsibility in allowing the UN safe passage to those areas that were the theatre of the first poison attack.
It is pressing upon the Russian community to revisit its stance on the use of chemical weapons in Syria. The Russian media often hints directly or indirectly at the rebels' possible culpability in the poison attacks, citing the off the cuff and self interested remark by Carla del Ponte months ago.
However the latest attack, in an area where the Syrian government has nearly uniform control, must send some shivers through the Russian observers. More telling might be the Syrian government's refusal to acknowledge the true number of victims in the latest attack, which has been somewhat confirmed as possible sarin poisoning due to the fact that doctors and rescuers alike have perished from secondary exposure.
The rebel group National Coalition place the number of dead at close to 1,300. The official Syrian sources sources instead claim that only a few dozen died, and deny any responsiblity in the in incident.
The interesting part of this report is that the UN commission investigating the prior incident is still on Syrian soil, although not in the area of the new incident, so that their ability to investigate could be greatly enhanced. Most traces of the poisoning and the ability to ascertain responsibility could be wiped out in a few days or weeks, if no one is able to inspect the area where it occurred.
However, Russian government spokesmen have expressed their belief that the reports of the poisoning incident by the rebels could be interference aimed at blocking peace talks slated to take place between all parts. It is still in doubt however, whether the Syrian government, and Assad would ever participate in such talks.
Partial Source : France 24/ 8.22.13
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