UN Report on Syria Chemical Weapons Photo

The UN has issued a picture of Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon receiving the Chemical Weapons Report on Syria from the Head of the Investigation Team Avi Sellstrom.

Zooming in on the letter (as apparently first noticed by journalist Denis Fitzgerald https://twitter.com/denisfitz ) in the photo reveals that it is a “Letter of Transmittal” in which the essential conclusion of the report can be seen i.e. that, “rockets containing the nerve gas sarin were used in Ein Tarma, Muadhamiya and Zamalka in the Ghouta area of Damascus.”

The rockets which have been identified as having being linked to the attack bear a strong resemblance to the US M130 SLUFAE, but we await the publication of the full report, (which will be appearing here) and the Syrian government’s promised response (expected later today) for many more details about the evidence regarding the incident, who may have fired the rockets and whether it is possible to differentiate between a false-flag operation and a Syrian military attack.

Regardless of the results of the ongoing investigation, the removal of chemical weapons from Syria has to be an extremely welcome development and we urge all parties involved in the conflict to ensure it progresses speedily.

(Article updated 16/09/2013)