Douglas Alexander MP, Labour’s Shadow Foreign Secretary, responding to the announcement that the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) will send a mission to Syria to investigate allegations of chemical weapons use against Syrian civilians, said:

“I welcome the OPCW decision to urgently investigate the most recent allegations of chemical weapons use against civilians in Syria.

“Any use of chemical weapons by the Syrian government would be yet another deplorable sign of the brutality of Assad’s regime and the suffering he is inflicting on his own people.

“The Syrian authorities must now ensure that the OPCW fact-finding mission has the necessary freedom of movement to allow a thorough and full investigation to take place.”