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| UN Sec. General Ban Ki-Moon - More headaches? |
The UN Commission of Inquiry on Syria has sought to distance itself from comments made (ironically) by one of its members that there was evidence of the nerve gas sarin being used by rebels.
This would not be unexpected as Western nations (led by the United States) scramble to undo the irreparable damage done to the 'credibility' of their support for the Syrian rebels.
Earlier, one of the members of the commission, Carla Del Ponte had asserted that testimony from victims and doctors had given rise to "strong, concrete suspicions but not yet incontrovertible proof".
One wonders why the need for incontrovertible proof" is never exhausted when the shoe is on the proverbial 'other foot'.
But the commission stressed that it had not reached any "conclusive findings".
The U.S. State Department and the White House (as would be expected) said they had no information to suggest rebel fighters had used sarin.
In recent weeks, Western powers have said their own investigations have found evidence that government forces have used chemical weapons. It should however be noted that this assertion by the former has not been independently validated by any credible non-aligned source.
In an interview with Swiss-Italian TV on Sunday, Ms. Del Ponte, who serves on the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Syria, said: "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."
Sarin, a colorless and odorless gas which can cause respiratory arrest and death, is classed as a weapon of mass destruction and is banned under international law.
Ms. Del Ponte did not rule out the possibility that troops loyal to President Bashar al-Assad might also have used chemical weapons, but said further investigation was needed.
On Monday, the Commission of Inquiry headed by Brazilian Paulo Sergio Pinheiro, issued a statement "to clarify that it has not reached conclusive findings as to the use of chemical weapons in Syria by any parties to the conflict".
"As a result, the commission is not in a position to further comment on the allegations at this time," it said, adding that it would present its findings to the Human Rights Council on 3 June.
It would appear the UN was taken by surprise at Ms. Del Ponte's comments but it is a welcome development within an organization that has increasingly become a laughing-stock among developing nations, who now view it as an all-too-willing accomplice, in the imposition of draconian international resolutions and policies by Western powers.
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