UN chemical experts quit Syria

The UN team investigating the use of chemical weapons east of Damascus on Aug. 21, exited Syria Saturday, not Friday as first reported. The 13-strong team left their hotel in Damascus in seven vehicles and then crossed the border into Lebanon. Friday, they finished collecting samples from the site, which they will now take to The Hague to be analyzed. A UN spokesman stressed that all available information, including lab analysis of the samples, had to be evaluated "before the mission can draw any conclusions about the incident". US Secretary of State John Kerry noted Friday that the UN team’s remit was not to affirm who used chemical weapons only whether they were used. “The UN can’t tell us anything we don’t know and have shared with the American public.” DEBKAfile: The UN experts’ departure from Syria opens a window for the US military operation to begin.