NEW YORK -- UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has named Swedish scientist Ake Sellstrom to head a UN investigation into allegations that chemical weapons were used in Syria, Ban's spokesman said on Tuesday."He is an accomplished scientist with a solid background in disarmament and international security," UN spokesman Martin Nesirky said.
| A Swede with a background in disarmament. Yah sure I can believe that... |
If an investigation adds credibility to the rebels' claims that the government has used chemical weapons, it would represent another blow to Bashar Al Assad's efforts to retain power. If it turned out the rebels have used them, it could make countries even more reluctant to support the opposition.
It was not immediately clear who else would be on Sellstrom's team. Russia said on Monday that Russian and Chinese experts should be part of the investigation, but Moscow's UN Ambassador Vitaly Churkin said on Tuesday that Russia would "most likely not" be represented.