Damascus denied any involvement in the incident and the Syrian army said it did not possess chemical weapons as they had been destroyed by the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW). The incident was used by the United States as pretext for a missile strike against a Syrian military airbase on April 7.
"We would like to emphasize that in early April, Damascus provided official guarantees for safe access there for the experts of the OPCW mission to establish the facts of the use of chemical weapons in Syria, the ministry said in a statement.
"Moreover, the Syrian government has asked that such a visit be organized without delay, thus confirming its readiness to fulfill its obligations…Thus, all the prerequisites for organizing a visit in terms of security requirements and fulfillment of obligations under the Convention have been established," the statement said.
Russia has repeatedly insisted on a transparent probe into the alleged Idlib chemical weapons use.
