After gun attack, OPCW experts will only go to Douma if given full access

THE HAGUE, Netherlands — Chemical weapons inspectors will only deploy to the Syrian town of Douma if they are given unhindered access, the OPCW chief said Wednesday, adding it was unknown when the team would go.

“I shall only consider such deployment following approval” by a UN security team “and provided that our team can have unhindered access to the sites,” Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons chief Ahmet Uzumcu said.

“At present, we do not know when the team can be deployed to Douma,” Uzumcu added in a statement.

Uzumcu’s warning came after a UN security team was fired at on Tuesday during a reconnaissance mission to Douma situated just northeast of Damascus.

A UN security team “on arrival at Site 1” were met by a large crowd and they were advised to withdraw, Uzumcu said.

“At Site 2, the team came under small arms fire and an explosive was detonated,” he said, adding “the reconnaissance team returned to Damascus.”

Uzumcu said the UN security team will continue to work with Syrian authorities, local councils in Douma and the Russian military police “to review the situation.”

He added the sites the team wants to visit were under the control of the Russian military police.

Plans had been made for the Syrians to escort them to a certain point, and then hand them over to the Russian military police for further escort.

The experts from the OPCW chemical watchdog are awaiting the green light from the security team before beginning their on-site investigation in Douma of the alleged attack.

The suspected April 7 gas attack on Douma reportedly left more than 40 people dead and was blamed by Western powers on Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s forces.

Tuesday’s incident “again highlights the highly volatile environment in which the fact-finding mission is having to work,” Uzumcu said.