Chemical weapons experts enter Douma, reports Syrian state TV

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00:38

Experts from the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) on Tuesday entered the Syrian town of Douma to start investigating allegations of chemical weapons use, reported state TV.

The reported gas attack on Douma, near the capital Damascus, on April 7 sparked unprecedented joint missile strikes by the US, France, and Britain on Syrian military installations.

The UN Syrian envoy told the UN Security Council on Tuesday that experts from the OPCW chemical watchdog are awaiting the green light from a UN security assessment team before beginning their investigation.

The security team entered Douma earlier to determine whether the experts can deploy there Wednesday, said Ambassador Bashar Jaafari.

"If this United Nations security team decides that the situation is sound in Douma then the fact-finding mission will begin its work in Douma tomorrow," Jaafari said.

A photo taken on April 16, 2018 shows the headquarters of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) in The Hague, The Netherlands. /VCG Photo

Syria has strongly rejected the allegations as fabrication by the rebels and Western countries to justify a military attack on the country.

The OPCW investigators, who arrived in Damascus on Saturday, have held several meetings with Syrian officials.

The Syrian government and its ally Russia had urged the OPCW to send a team to Douma to investigate the alleged use of chlorine gas.

France said on Tuesday it was very likely that evidence was disappearing from Douma and it called for international inspectors be given full and quick access to the site.

"As of today, Russia and Syria still refuse to give inspectors access to the site of the attack," the French foreign ministry said in a statement. "It is very likely that proof and essential elements are disappearing from this site."‍

Source(s): AFP ,Reuters ,Xinhua News Agency