Syrian Ambassador to the United Nations Bashar Jaafari said he had requested of UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon that the team of experts currently in Damascus investigating an alleged use of chemical weapons last week also investigate these other attacks.
The attacks took place on August 22, 24 and 25 in Jobar, Sahnaya, and al-Bahariya, Jaafari told journalists on Wednesday.
The “militants” used toxic chemical gas against the Syrian army, the diplomat said.
"We are asking UN to incorporate 3 more locations where the Syrian soldiers inhaled the nerve gas also in the suburbs of Damascus. So the spectrum of investigation is increasing compared to the initial phase of investigation," Jaafari said.
Jaafari criticized the US, UK and France of being “part of the problem,” rather than “a solution to the crisis.”
His comments come as the US and UK have being threatening to attack Syria within days, based on their supported militants’ claims on use of chemical weapons by the Syrian army.
These Western states are providing armed terrorists groups in Syria with weapons and all kinds of logistical support, Jafari stated.
He explained, following the alleged chemical weapons attack on March 19 in Khan al-Assal near Aleppo, which killed over 30 people, the Syrian government asked the UN chief for assistance in investigating the attack and identifying who was behind it.
But Ban Ki-moon, “his experts in the department of disarmament, as well as the three Western delegations in the Council, objected to the second part of our request,” he said. “They objected to our request to identify who did it from day one, because they knew who did it in Khan al-Assal."
The diplomat said that, even though “everyone agreed” that the March 19 attack involved chemical weapons, the UK, the US and France did not submit any draft resolutions to the UN Security Council then.
“They did not raise a finger in the media to say that what happened in Khan al-Assal was wrong,” Jaafari said.
The call for military action against Syria intensified after foreign-backed opposition forces accused the government of President Bashar al-Assad of launching a chemical attack on militant strongholds in the suburbs of Damascus last week.
The Syrian Army strongly rejected any role in the alleged chemical attack, saying the accusations were fabricated to distract a visiting team of the UN chemical weapons experts and to cover up militants' losses.
During a news conference on Tuesday in Damascus, Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Muallem challenged the US and its allies to present evidence that the government had used chemical weapons.
"We are hearing war drums around us. If they want to launch an attack against Syria, I think using the excuse of chemical weapons is not true at all. I challenge them to show what proof they have,” Muallem said.
He also said that the first one benefiting from a US attack on Syria is Israel and al-Qaeda-linked extremist groups.
SHI/SHI