the ephemeral Ban Ki-moon... of whom it can be said to his credit that he is not Kofi Annan...
said on Monday that Sherlocks have been gathering and analyzing available information on alleged chemical weapons attacks in Syria, but access to the war-torn country is needed for a "credible and comprehensive inquiry."
The issue of possible chemical attacks by
Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir Pencilneckal-Assad
Before going into the family business Pencilneck was an eye doctor. If he'd stuck with it he'd have had a good practice by now...
's government has become a crucial factor that could lead to the United States and other western powers stepping up their involvement in the Syrian civil war.
Ban created a UN inspection mission, led by Swedish scientist Ake Sellstrom, in mid-March to investigate several claims of chemical weapons attacks in Syria, where more than 70,000 people have been killed in a two-year-old war.
But Syria has blocked unconditional and unfettered access by the UN mission, which has an advance team in Cyprus ready to deploy to Syria within 24 to 48 hours, and it is unlikely it will gain that type of access any time soon.
"On-site activities are essential if the United Nations
...where theory meets practice and practice loses...
is to be able to establish the facts and clear all the doubts surrounding this issue," Ban told news hounds before meeting with Sellstrom at the United Nations in New York.