Iran Says Syria Willl Allow U.N. to Inspect Chemical Sites

Syria will allow U.N. inspectors to visit a site near Damascus where an alleged chemical weapons attack is said to have killed hundreds of people, Iran's foreign minister said Saturday.

Mohammad Javad Zarif was quoted by IRNA news agency as saying he had spoken by telephone with his Syrian counterpart, Walid Muallem.

Muallem told him "the Syrian government will cooperate with the United Nations mission now in Syria to create the conditions for a visit to zones where terrorist groups have carried out attacks with chemical weapons."

"We are currently in the process of discussions with the United Nations mission on preparing this visit," he was said to have added.

The Syrian opposition has accused the regime of carrying out chemical weapons attacks on Wednesday near Damascus that killed more than 1,300 people.

The regime has denied this and, in turn, blamed the rebels.

There has thus far been no independent confirmation of what happened, and the United Nations and several world powers have been pressing for inspectors already in the country to go to the site and investigate.