The UN Commission of Inquiry on Syria is distancing itself from a claim that Syrian Rebels possibly used chemical weapons.  The claim was made over the weekend by one of its own members looking into human rights abuses in Syria.

Carla Del Ponte is a member of the UN independent commission of inquiry on Syria.  She bases her opinion on testimony collected from casualties and medical staff indicated that rebel fighters were violating the international chemical weapons ban.

“Our investigators have been in neighboring countries interviewing victims, doctors and field hospitals and, according to their report of last week which I have seen, there are strong, concrete suspicions but not yet incontrovertible proof of the use of sarin gas, from the way the victims were treated,” Del Ponte said in an interview with Swiss television.

The UN was apparently taken by surprise by Del Ponte’s statement.

The Commission of Inquiry headed by Brazilian Paulo Sergio Pinheiro issued a statement “to clarify that it has not reached conclusive findings as to the use of chemical weapons in Syria by any parties to the conflict”.

US officials in Washington also played down Ms Del Ponte's comments.

“The fact of the matter is, as we have said, and I have said many times, that we are highly skeptical of suggestions that the opposition could have or did use chemical weapons,” White House spokesman Jay Carney told reporters.

This comes a week after the US government made the opposite claim, saying there was evidence the government of Bashar al-Assad was using chemical weapons.  As a result, the Obama administration says it is considering arming the Syrian rebels.  

Both sides in Syria’s two-year-old conflict have accused the other of using chemical weapons, which is a war crime under international law.