Moscow warns against Iraq-style \'adventure\' in Syria

Syrian army tanks are seen deployed in the Jobar neighbourhood of Damascus on August 24, 2013 London – Arab Today Russia on Sunday welcomed Damascus\' offer to allow a mission by UN inspectors probing alleged chemical weapons use and warned the West that an Iraq scenario in Syria would be a \"tragic mistake\". \"We strongly urge those who, by attempting to impose their own results on the UN experts, are raising the possibility of a military operation in Syria to use their common sense and refrain from committing a tragic mistake,\" foreign ministry spokesman Alexander Lukashevich said in a statement.
\"All this is reminiscent of events from a decade ago, when the United States bypassed the UN and used fallacious information on the presence in Iraq of weapons of mass destruction to launch an adventure, the consequences of which are known to all,\" he said.
The United States and Britain in 2003 led a military invasion of Iraq that toppled long-time dictator Saddam Hussein.
A UN mission had failed to find any of the weapons of mass destructions Saddam was suspected of possessing but the Iraqi strongman was known to have repeatedly used chemical weapons.
The United Nations said Sunday its inspectors in Syria could begin work as early as Monday, after Damascus agreed to the probe Sunday during a visit by top UN official Angela Kane.
Russia took credit for the deal, saying it was the result of \"relentless efforts\" by Moscow with the Syrian regime.
\"We are satisfied with the Syrian leadership\'s constructive approach towards ensuring an effective cooperation with the UN mission,\" the spokesman said.
Russia -- which together with Iran and China has supported Assad throughout the 29-month-old Syrian crisis -- urged the rebel camp to guarantee the safety of the UN team lead by professor Aake Sellstroem.
\"It is important that the armed opposition controlling part of Eastern Ghouta ensure that the UN mission is able to operate safely and refrain from the kind of armed provocation witnessed against UN observers last summer,\" Lukashevich said.
Opposition leaders already said Friday that UN inspectors would have \"unfettered\" access to areas under rebel control such as Eastern Ghouta on the outskirts of Damascus to investigate the use of chemical weapons.
Damascus has strongly denied it carried out an attack using chemical arms, instead blaming the rebels.
Washington, which has previously stated that evidence President Bashar al-Assad\'s regime used chemical weapons would cross a red line and warrant tougher action, said the Syrian offer was \"too late to be credible\" and that was \"very little doubt\" Syrian forces had used chemical weapons on civilians.
The comments marked a significant escalation of a showdown over the horrific attack outside the Syrian capital which killed up to 1,300 people last week, and came as Washington appeared to be positioning for possible military action.
Officials said President Barack Obama, who held crisis talks Saturday with top aides, would make an \"informed decision\" about how to respond to an \"indiscriminate\" chemical weapons attack.
The official told AFP that based on the reported number of victims and their symptoms, and US and foreign intelligence, \"there is very little doubt at this point that a chemical weapon was used by the Syrian regime against civilians in this incident.\"
The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that Washington had noted that Syria had offered to let UN inspectors view the site of the alleged attack on Monday, but suggested it was too little, too late.
\"If the Syrian government had nothing to hide and wanted to prove to the world that it had not used chemical weapons in this incident, it would have ceased its attacks on the area and granted immediate access to the UN five days ago,\" the official said.
\"At this juncture, the belated decision by the regime to grant access to the UN team is too late to be credible, including because the evidence available has been significantly corrupted as a result of the regime\'s persistent shelling and other intentional actions over the last five days.\"
Experts believe that the most likely US action would see sea-launched cruise missiles target Syrian military installations and artillery batteries deemed complicit in the chemical weapons attack.
Weapons fired from US planes outside the country could also be used, to minimize the risk to US or allied pilots from Syrian air defences.
Washington would likely seek to act with a broad coalition of European and Gulf allies as Russia is seen sure to veto any attempt to mandate action against its Middle Eastern ally in the UN Security Council.
Obama called British Prime Minister David Cameron on Saturday to discuss options, after a meeting of all his top diplomatic, military and intelligence chiefs at the White House.
US Secretary of State John Kerry has spent days on the phone with Washington\'s foreign partners.
Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel said on a tour of Asia that the military would be ready to act if called on by Obama.
On a visit to Malaysia, Hagel said the US defence department had prepared \"options for all contingencies\" at Obama\'s request.
French President Francois Hollande said evidence indicated the regime was to blame for the chemical attacks, while Israel demanded action against its Arab neighbour.
Hollande said there was \"a body of evidence indicating that the August 21 attack was chemical in nature, and that everything led to the belief that the Syrian regime was responsible for this unspeakable act.\"
Meanwhile, a strident warning came from Washington\'s arch foe Iran.
\"If the United States crosses this red line, there will be harsh consequences for the White House,\" armed forces deputy chief of staff Massoud Jazayeri said, without elaborating.
The Arab League is to meet on Tuesday to discuss the alleged use of chemical weapons in Syria, the bloc\'s deputy chief Ahmed Ben Helli said.
Doctors Without Borders (MSF) has said about 3,600 patients displaying \"neurotoxic symptoms\" had flooded into three Syrian hospitals on the day of the alleged attacks, and 355 of them died.
\"Medical staff working in these facilities provided detailed information to MSF doctors regarding large numbers of patients arriving with symptoms including convulsions, excess saliva, pinpoint pupils, blurred vision and respiratory distress,\" said MSF operations director Bart Janssens.
MSF president Mego Terzian told AFP however that \"scientific\" proof is still lacking.
If confirmed, it would be the deadliest use of chemical agents since late Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein gassed Iranian troops and Kurdish rebels in the 1980s.
More than 100,000 people have been killed in Syria since an uprising against Assad\'s rule flared in March 2011, the UN says.
 
Source: AFP