By Matthew Russell Lee
UNITED NATIONS, May 23 -- Back on April 30 at the Russian Mission to the UN, a Russian state television reporter who spent eight months in Syria, Anastasia Popova, told Inner City Press that while she had information about the use of chemical weapons in Khan Al-Asal, the UN panel headed by Paulo Sergio Pinheiro had declined to look at it.
Inner City Press wrote the story, and on May 1 asked UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon's spokesperson Martin Nesirky if Ban's prober Ake Sellstrom would be willing to look at Popova's evidence. Yes, Nesirky said, to the surprise of some.
Now we can report that Popova has said she did share her information with Ban's High Representative on Disarmament and main negotiator with Syria on chemical weapons, Angela Kane.
And Inner City Press has learned that Kane's High Representative's Office has received the material and are converting it into a usable format, and it is being sent to the Head of the Team, Ake Sellstrom."
What will Sellstrom make of it? And have he and Kane similarly sought or got any of the information Carla Del Ponte referred to when she spoke of "strong suspicions" of chemical weapons used -- by the Syrian rebels, not the government? Watch this site.
