UN rights chief arrives in Syria for first ever visit

GENEVA (Reuters) - United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk arrived in Syria's capital, Damascus, on Tuesday for the first ever visit of the global body's rights chief to the country.

Turk, an Austrian lawyer, will visit Syria and Lebanon from Jan. 14-16 and meet with officials, civil society groups, diplomats and U.N. bodies, the U.N. statement said, without giving further details.

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad was driven from power by a lightening rebel offensive last month, ending 50 years of family rule and raising hopes for accountability for crimes committed during Syria's more than 13 year civil war.

Under Assad, many U.N. officials and rights groups were denied access to the country to investigate alleged violations.

A spokesperson for Turk's office did not immediately provide further details of how many times he or his predecessors had tried to gain access to the country. The role of High Commissioner for Human Rights was created in 1993.

(Reporting by Emma Farge, Editing by Miranda Murray)

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