Obama calls alleged Syrian chemical attack a 'grave concern'

Children, affected by what activists say was a gas attack earlier this week, breathe through oxygen masks in the Damascus suburb of Saqba. Activists told Reuters they were trying to reach UN inspectos with tissue samples collected from victims of the attack. (Bassam Khabieh/Reuters)

The Russian Foreign Ministry is calling for an independent probe by UN experts into what Syrian rebels allege was a chemical weapons attack by government forces on the outskirts of Damascus.

The statement released on Friday said that Minister Sergey Lavrov and U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry had discussed the situation by telephone on Thursday, and concluded that they had a "mutual interest" in calling for the UN investigation.

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The statement said Russia had called for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's embattled government to co-operate with an investigation, but questions remained about the willingness of the opposition, "which must secure safe access of the mission to the location of the incident."

Russia has been one of Assad's key allies in the international arena.

Attempts to reach UN inspectors

Syrian activists, meanwhile, told Reuters they have prepared body tissue samples from victims of the alleged chemical weapons attack earlier this week and are trying to get them to the team of UN inspectors staying in a hotel a few kilometres away.

"The UN team spoke with us and since then we prepared samples of hair, skin and blood and smuggled them back into Damascus with trusted couriers," said activist Abu Nidal, speaking from the rebel-held town of Arbin.

Several activists in the area who spoke to Reuters said they too had prepared samples to smuggle into the capital but were unable to find a way to access the monitors inside their hotel.

With files from Reuters