The delivery of humanitarian aid to half a million displaced civilians in north eastern Syria is under threat from fighting between Iraqi forces and Kurdish fighters near the border, a medical charity has warned.

The chief of the UN relief agency supporting Palestinian refugees said he is “deeply disturbed and shaken” by the despair and destruction he had seen in a besieged camp in the Syrian capital.

Syria has agreed to a United Nations investigation into last week’s alleged chemical weapons attack outside Damascus.

THE images emerging from Syria — from the hysterical young girl to the rows of corpses — should be a turning point in a conflict that has killed 100,000 people. The deaths, if proven, demonstrate either the depravity of Bashar al-Assad — or the rebels fighting him.

Syrian government forces appear to have recently made use of cluster bombs, weapons banned by most countries because of the danger they pose to civilians, a New York-based rights watchdog has said.

Syria's president has promised to do all he can to ensure UN envoy Kofi Annan's peace plan for his country succeeds but demanded a pledge from his opponents to halt violence.