UNITED NATIONS, July 29 (UPI) -- Discussions between the Syrian government and weapons inspectors visiting Damascus last week were productive, the United Nations said.
U.N. High Representative for Disarmament Affairs Angela Kane arrived Tuesday in Beirut with Ake Sellstrom, a former U.N. weapons inspector in Iraq and head of a fact-finding mission investigating the alleged use of chemical weapons in Syria.
The team left Beirut for a two-day visit to Damascus late last week. U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said the team met with Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Moalem and other high-ranking officials.
"The discussions were thorough and productive and led to an agreement on the way forward," Ban said in a statement. The official Syrian Arab News Agency reported Sunday the talks were "fruitful."
Neither side reported the details of the investigation or the substance of the talks in Damascus.
Western governments have said the use of chemical weapons in Syria would be the trigger for a more comprehensive response to alleged abuses committed by the government. The British government said it had evidence the use of chemical weapons, including the nerve agent sarin, was sanctioned by Syrian President Bashar Assad.
Ban said last week the Syrian civil war has left more than 100,000 people dead since it began in early 2011.
