Turkey FM Meets U.N. Expert on Syria Chemical Arms Claims
Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu held talks on Thursday with the top U.N. expert leading a probe into allegations of chemical weapons use in Syria, a ministry official in Ankara said.
Davutoglu held closed-door talks with Swedish expert Ake Sellstrom, who has so far been barred from entering Syria.
The U.N. expert, who arrived in Turkey two days ago, also met doctors who treated wounded Syrian refugees that showed signs of chemical attack, the diplomat told Agence France Presse on condition of anonymity.
Sellstrom thanked Davutoglu for Turkey's cooperation but did not comment on the findings of the ongoing probe, said the diplomat.
In return, Davutoglu said the possible use of chemical weapons was a "source of embarrassment" and pledged support for the U.N. probe "because this is not a political but a humanitarian matter for Turkey," according to the diplomat.
President Bashar Assad's regime asked for a U.N. investigation after accusing rebels of using chemical arms in the 27-month-old conflict that according to activists has left 100,000 dead.
But it has refused to give access to Sellstrom and his team after U.N. leader Ban Ki-moon insisted that all alleged attacks be probed.
Britain, France and the United States have forwarded evidence of alleged attacks to the U.N.
Sellstrom's team is also interviewing witnesses who have fled Syria.
Turkey has also carried out blood tests on wounded Syrian refugees in a bid to assess if their injuries were caused by chemical weapons.
Turkey, a vocal critic of the Damascus regime, has taken in around 400,000 refugees as well as army defectors and repeatedly called on the international community to act on the crisis.
Source: Agence France Presse
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