Ban Ki-moon, UN Secretary-General, Says Weapons Inspectors In Syria Need Time To Complete Probe

THE HAGUE, Aug 28 (Reuters) - United Nations inspectors should be given time to determine whether forces have used chemical weapons in Syria's civil war, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said in The Hague on Wednesday.

Referring to an alleged chemical weapons attack last week in which hundreds of civilians were killed on the outskirts of Damascus, Ban said the images from the more than two-year-old conflict were "unlike any we have seen in the 21st century.

"It is essential to establish the facts. A U.N. investigation team is now on the ground to do just that. Just days after the attack, they have collected valuable samples and interviewed victims and witnesses. The team needs time to do its job," he said. (Reporting By Anthony Deutsch and Thomas Escritt; Editing by Sara Webb and Janet Lawrence)