Syria
Chancellor Angela Merkel has welcomed Russia’s willingness to support the independent investigation of the possible use of chemical weapons in Syria. UN inspectors must be granted swift access to the pertinent locations, she said.
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At the same time, Angela Merkel underlined the urgent need to find a political solution to the conflict in Syria.
On Thursday, Federal Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle called for the investigation of reports alleging that poisonous gas had been used. The United Nations chemical weapons inspectors already in Syria must be given immediate access to the relevant sites, he said. "These reports are very serious, and if confirmed, deeply troubling."
Syrian rebels have accused President Bashar al-Assad of killing as many as 1,300 people in a poisonous gas attack east of Damascus. So far no evidence has been presented.