Russia has urged Syria to allow a United Nations team to investigate allegations that chemical weapons were used in a recent attack.
Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and US Secretary of State John Kerry agreed that an objective investigation was needed, Russia’s foreign ministry said.
It said rebel forces must give UN inspectors already in Syria safe passage to the site.
Activists say hundreds died in Wednesday’s attack near Damascus.
Meanwhile UN agencies now say the number of children forced to flee Syria has reached one million.
The UN’s refugee agency and Unicef describe the figure as “a shameful milestone”, and say a further two million children are displaced within the country.
‘No delay’
Russia is Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s main ally.
The foreign ministry in Moscow said in a statement on Friday: “The Russian side called on the Syrian government to cooperate with the UN chemical experts.
“It is now up to the opposition, which should guarantee safe access for the mission to the alleged place of the incident.”
There is no sign yet that Damascus will allow the UN inspection team to visit the site of the alleged chemical weapons attack.
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has already called for an investigation “without delay”.
“I can think of no good reason why any party – either government or opposition forces – would decline this opportunity to get to the truth of the matter,” Mr Ban said from the South Korean capital, Seoul.
Mr Ban said: “Any use of chemical weapons anywhere, by anybody, under any circumstances, would violate international law. Such a crime against humanity should result in serious consequences for the perpetrator.”
Agencies