United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon says U.N. experts will go to Syria imminently to investigate claims of chemical weapons use during that country's civil war.
In a statement Wednesday, Ban said Syria's government has agreed to details of the trip. He said the U.N. team will stay in Syria for up to two weeks.
The team is expected to visit three sites where chemical weapons allegedly have been used, including the village of Khan al-Assal on the outskirts of Aleppo. The names of the other two sites have not been released.
Khan al-Assal has been a key front in the battle to control Aleppo, Syria's largest city. Both opposition rebels and Syria's government have accused each other of using chemical weapons during battles there earlier this year that killed about 30 people.
The United Nations team will be led by Ake Sellstrom, head of the U.N. chemical weapons investigation unit.
The upcoming trip will follow last month's visit to Damascus by Sellstrom and U.N. disarmament chief Angela Kane. The two went to Damascus at the invitation of Syria's government.
In a statement Wednesday, Ban said Syria's government has agreed to details of the trip. He said the U.N. team will stay in Syria for up to two weeks.
The team is expected to visit three sites where chemical weapons allegedly have been used, including the village of Khan al-Assal on the outskirts of Aleppo. The names of the other two sites have not been released.
Khan al-Assal has been a key front in the battle to control Aleppo, Syria's largest city. Both opposition rebels and Syria's government have accused each other of using chemical weapons during battles there earlier this year that killed about 30 people.
The United Nations team will be led by Ake Sellstrom, head of the U.N. chemical weapons investigation unit.
The upcoming trip will follow last month's visit to Damascus by Sellstrom and U.N. disarmament chief Angela Kane. The two went to Damascus at the invitation of Syria's government.
