Chemical weapons UN weapons inspectors to leave Syria a day early

[dipsydoodle]

Source: Guardian

Ban Ki-moon has said the UN weapons inspectors investigating last week's suspected chemical weapons attack will leave Syria on Saturday, one day ahead of schedule.

The announcement deepened anticipation over imminent air strikes. Under an agreement with the Syrian government, the UN team had until the end of Sunday to complete their investigation.

If they leave a day early, they will not be able to carry out the three other site inspections from earlier suspected chemical attacks they had initially intended to complete.

The move is reminiscent of similar hasty departures of UN weapons inspectors from Iraq over a decade ago, after receiving a tip-off from western intelligence agencies that US air strikes against Saddam Hussein's regime were imminent.

Read more: http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/aug/29/un-inspectors-leave-syria-early

[Little Star]

1. Same shit different day. k&r

[Nihil]

18. All this "Change" is getting a bit stale these days. (n/t)

[Autumn]

2. Those would be the three sites that Assad asked the UN to look into?

It's a shame that they have to leave their work undone and questions unanswered.

[David__77]

11. Not just those, but the ones they were originally sent their to go to!

Like Khan al Assal, the then-government held town in which there was supposedly a chemical attack. It is west of Aleppo. Why the fuck are they leaving?

[Autumn]

13. Maybe the threat of an attack by our military. That's all I can think of.

It's all outrageous.

[dipsydoodle]

3. weapons inspectors could report to the security council on Saturday

1513: Iain Watson Political correspondent, BBC News

reports: "Whitehall sources say weapons inspectors could report to the security council on Saturday - a recall of Parliament over the weekend hasn't been ruled out."

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-23877247

[Javaman]

4. History rhymes. nt

[progressoid]

5. Need to get out before the bombs drop.

[Catherina]

6. "will not be able to carry out the 3 other site inspections" where rebels are suspected of using gas

Three sites where gas was freshly used, and by all suspicions, by the rebels. So those 3 won't be inspected, and our media won't even mention them except vaguely in passing and the UN's earlier inspection that concluded it was the rebels using gas is being ignored.

Way to beat the drums of war and manufacture consent.

The West is determined to pursue its 15 year plan to rearrange the Middle East and it won't be inconvenienced with pesky facts.

Disgusted. Again.

[KittyWampus]

14. They'll have visited FOUR sites. And completed visit to site to recent large scale attack.

http://www.voanews.com/content/un-weapons-inspectors-to-leave-syria-by-saturday/1739493.html

[David__77]

16. And NOT visited THREE others

Why the caps?

[daleo]

7. Too much evidence can make things complicated

This way, the case for war remains simple and probably wrong.

[Supersedeas]

8. nothing to see or nothing they want you to see

[Mnemosyne]

9. Not this again. nt

[Ash_F]

10. I guess the inspectors would have been killed by US bombs if they had stayed

Sounds like USGov gave them an ultimatum.

[KittyWampus]

12. The weapons inspectors have made visits to FOUR different sites. VOA

http://www.voanews.com/content/un-weapons-inspectors-to-leave-syria-by-saturday/1739493.html

CAIRO — With the eyes of the international community fixed on their work, U.N. chemical weapons investigators carried out their third inspection Thursday in a probe of an alleged chemical weapons attack last week. It came as the U.N. chief urged world powers to hold off on possible military action against Syria until the team finishes its work.

The weapons inspectors have now made three visits to rebel-held suburbs of the capital this week - with a convoy of white U.N. vehicles travelling to the suburbs of Douma and Zamalka on Thursday. The visit follows initial inspections to Zamalka and Mleiha Wednesday, and one to Madhamiya on Monday.

Witnesses told Arab satellite channels that the inspectors took blood and tissue samples from survivors of alleged chemical weapons attacks last week. An opposition activist told Arabiya TV that most of the bodies from those attacks were “buried immediately afterwards, due to the lack of a refrigerated morgue.”

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon told journalists in Vienna that the inspectors would leave Syria by Saturday. He said that the team will give him a report at the end of their two-week mission, originally scheduled to investigate previous alleged chemical attacks near Aleppo last March.

The Syrian government kept the U.N. inspectors waiting in Cyprus for days, while it argued over details of their mission, including which sites they could visit. Evidence in chemical weapons attacks deteriorates within hours, making it difficult to assess what took place.

[David__77]

15. They didn't even go to the ones they were tasked to go to originally.

Not Khan al Assal, for instance. They themselves said that they would visit there too. Perhaps they will go back soon, hopefully.

[Catherina]

17. The very important background to this story is in a locked thread

Syria asks UN to immediately investigate three new ‘chemical attacks’ by rebels. so make sure you read that to get the whole picture to understand why they're being pulled out.