UN extends Syria chemical weapons inspection mandate
The UN Security Council voted Monday to extend the mandate of inspectors charged with determining who is behind confirmed chemical weapons attacks in Syria.
The resolution extends the mandate for the so-called Joint Investigative Mechanism, or JIM, which was set to expire on Monday, for two weeks while diplomats try to negotiate a longer extension.
France's UN Ambassador Francois Delattre said the mandate extension was only a first step. "As we all know there are more cases of chemical weapons use in Syria. And so it is absolutely critical that the JIM later gets a one-year mandate to continue its investigation. We consider it very important," Delattre said.
