In Syrian chemical weapons claim, criticism about lack of transparency. The technical data presented by the three Western powers is of limited value to U.N. inspectors trying to determine whetherSyria’s combatants used chemical weapons during the country’s 25-month-old conflict. Under the United Nations’ terms of reference, only evidence personally collected by its inspectors can be used to fashion a final judgment. But no inspectors have been allowed inside Syria, so Western governments have relied on physical evidence smuggled out of the country by rebels or intelligence operatives. Precisely who acquired the evidence and what methods were used to guard against tampering may be unknowable, according to experts experienced at investigating chemical weapons claims.
“You can try your best to control the analysis, but analysis at a distance is always uncertain,” said David Kay, a former U.N. weapons inspector who led the U.S. search for weapons of mass destruction in Iraq after the 2003 invasion. U.S. defends analysis Challenge for U.N. Unedited video: Aftermath of the Sheikh Maqsoud attack (GRAPHIC) Chemical Weapons Facts. U.N. Strong Suspicions That Syrian Rebels Used Sarin Gas. Jihadists, not Assad, apparently behind reported chemical attack in Syria - Middle East. Armes chimiques en Syrie: "L'Iran observe" la réaction d'Obama.