Syria rejects any partial UN report

DAMASCUS - Syria's Foreign Minister Walid al- Moallem said Friday that his country rejects any partial report by the UN before its investigation team's mission is completed, state- run SANA news agency reported.

The minister made the remarks during a phone call with UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Friday, a day after the UN said its inspectors on the ground were to leave the country on Saturday.

Moallem further requested that the UN team should also look into sites where the government accused the rebels of using nerve agents against troops and civilians.

While the UN team did not probe all reported instances of chemical weapon use, it promised to return to Syria after submitting its preliminary findings to the UN headquarters in New York.

The UN experts, led by Swedish scientist Ake Sellstrom, came under sniper attack on Monday while its convoy headed to Damascus' eastern suburb of Ghouta, where chemical weapons had been allegedly used on August 21.

Activists claim that at least 1,300 people were killed in the attack, which rebels hold the Syrian government responsible for. The incident prompted Washington to mull military intervention to "punish" President Bashar al-Assad even before the UN team submits its findings.