World Press on use of chemical weapons in Syria (May 6, 2013)

“UN accuses Syrian rebels of chemical weapons use” is an article published today by the Telegraph. The article opens with a quote from an interview with Carla del Ponte, a former war crimes prosecutor, now a member of the UN commission of inquiry on Syria: "According to the testimonies we have gathered, the rebels have used chemical weapons, making use of sarin gas." "We still have to deepen our investigation, verify and confirm (the findings) through new witness testimony, but according to what we have established so far, it is at the moment opponents of the regime who are using sarin gas," del Ponte added.The article quotes multiple sources: “Turkish authorities are carrying out blood tests on Syrians who have fled the fighting at home to determine if they have been victims of chemical weapons, a medical source said on Monday. "Samples have been taken from people wounded in Syria who have been transported to Turkey," the source said on condition of anonymity, adding that the results were not yet known. “Western nations have raised concerns about the use of chemical weapons in the escalating conflict between the regime of President Bashar al-Assad and rebels fighting to oust him. Top UN rights investigator Carla del Ponte said Sunday that according to testimony, rebels have been using sarin gas,” the article reports. Despite this “US President Barack Obama has refused to rule out any options, but has said he did not foresee deploying US troops if Assad's regime is proved to have used chemical weapons”, while  “Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, a one-time Syria ally, on Sunday branded Assad a "butcher" and a "murderer" who would pay a heavy price for the killings in Syria”, the article says.“Israel launched air strikes earlier that hit three military sites near Damascus, the second such reported attack in a 48-hour period targeting the transfer of arms to Lebanon-based Hezbollah, raising fresh concerns of a regional spillover. "The secretary-general calls on all sides to exercise maximum calm and restraint, and to act with a sense of responsibility to prevent an escalation of what is already a devastating and highly dangerous conflict," Ban's spokesman Martin Nesirky said in a statement. Nesirky said the United Nations was unable to independently verify the raids, and had no details about them, but Ban "expresses grave concern over reports of air strikes in Syria by the Israeli Air Force." "The secretary-general urges respect for national sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries in the region, and adherence to all relevant Security Council resolutions," Nesirky said,” the Telegraph reports.Yesterday, in the Telegraph View editorial, the newspaper voiced the concern for the lack of action from the international community. “The capacity of the Syrian civil war to draw other nations into its ghastly vortex has finally been realised with the Israeli air strikes on targets inside the disintegrating state. While Western powers have been anxious to stay out of the conflict, Israel cannot afford to be indifferent to what is happening on its doorstep. Warplanes attacked a convoy of missiles apparently destined for Hizbollah in southern Lebanon. More dramatically, Israeli jets also appear to have targeted a military research facility near Damascus. Israel would not confirm the second strike – but nor did it ever officially acknowledge the destruction of Syria’s al-Kibar nuclear plant in 2007”, the article reads.“The Syrians called the latest attack an act of war and vowed to retaliate; but while the Assad regime has a modern air force, which it is using against its own people, it is fanciful to think it will compound its existential crisis with a declaration of hostilities against Israel. None the less, the wider world may soon need to confront the implications of the inability to contain Syria’s tragedy within its frontiers. In the Middle East, the ramifications are already apparent on a daily basis as refugees stream into Lebanon, Turkey and other neighbouring countries. The government in Beirut yesterday said Israeli warplanes had also flown over Lebanese territory in violation of its sovereignty. Yet Israel is entitled to do what it can to defend its national interests if it feels they are being threatened by the spill-over from the conflict”, the editorial continues.“Equally alarming is what is going on inside Syria, where Alawite militias have been on a sectarian killing spree seemingly designed to carve out an enclave into which Assad and his supporters can eventually retreat. The parallels with Balkan ethnic cleansing in the 1990s are clearer by the day, but with even greater potential consequences. A new Shia rump state backed by Iran and using Hizbollah as a proxy against Israel would be seriously destabilising in a region that is unsettled enough as it is. Meanwhile, the emboldened jihadists who have joined the rebellion against Assad pose a threat both to Israel and the West,” the authors write.“Doubtless this crisis will be the main topic of discussion when US Secretary of State John Kerry visits Moscow this week. The Russians continue to arm Assad and to block UN moves for tougher action, while the Americans back the rebels but stay clear of any direct involvement. An agreement between Washington and Moscow on how to deal with Syria seems as far away as ever; but it cannot be in anyone’s long-term interests to watch this disintegration continue,” the editorial piece concludes.