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Syrian Rebels Say Chemical Weapons Moved to Border Areas |
24 July 2012Syrian rebels are accusing government forces of moving chemical weapons close to the country's borders.
Brigadier Kassem Saeddine, of the opposition Free Syrian Army, said the rebels have "confirmed information that the weapons were moved to airports located at the borders of Syria."
No confirmation of the claim was available from the government or other sources.
The rebel claim came after U.S. President Barack Obama warned Syrian President Bashar al-Assad not to make a "tragic mistake" by unleashing his stockpile of chemical weapons.
Speaking to U.S. war veterans on July 23 during an election campaign speech in Nevada, Obama said that Assad and his regime would be "held accountable" by the international community and the United States if it used chemical weapons.
Earlier on July 23, Damascus threatened that it could use chemical weapons in response to foreign "aggression" if there is international military intervention in Syria -- although it vowed not to turn the weapons against its own civilians.
Syrian Foreign Ministry spokesman Jihad Makdissi issued the threat during a press conference in Damascus.
He also insisted Syria's chemical-weapons stockpiles remain well-protected by the military, despite the civil war that has engulfed the nation.
"Any stocks of [weapons of mass destruction] or any unconventional weapons that the Syrian Arab Republic possesses would never -- would never be used against civilians or against the Syrian people during this crisis [under] any circumstances, no matter how the crisis would evolve," Makdissi said.
The Syrian government had never before officially confirmed that it has chemical weapons.
But regime defectors recently have noted unconfirmed reports suggesting the Syrian Army already has used chemical weapons in its deadly crackdown against dissent.
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon called the chemical weapons threat from Damascus "reprehensible" and urged the international community to remain alert in order to prevent such action.
British Foreign Secretary William Hague said the Syrian Foreign Ministry spokesman's comments reflect the regime's "illusion" that they are the victims of "external aggression."
"This is typical of the complete illusion of this regime that they are victims of external aggression," Hague said. "What is actually happening is their own people are rising up against a brutal police state."
Russia and China have consistently vetoed or otherwise blocked attempts by other permanent members of the UN Security Council to pass a resolution giving a mandate for international military intervention in Syria.
The regime's spokesman on July 23 also said Damascus rejects an Arab League offer to provide a "safe exit" for Assad and his family if Assad steps down.
He claimed that the security situation in Damascus is improving and will be normalized within days.
Opposition activists say Syrian regime forces raided several districts of Damascus on July 23 while in Syria's largest city of Aleppo, clashes between government troops and rebels continued.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says more than 19,000 people have been killed since the uprising against Assad's regime began in March 2011.
European Union foreign ministers on July 23 added 27 Syrian individuals and three companies to the EU's sanctions list.
It is the 17th round of EU sanctions against the regime in Damascus since protests calling for Assad's resignation began.
The EU foreign ministers also agreed to tighten an existing arms embargo against Syria by requiring member nations to board ships and aircraft carrying suspicious cargo to the war-torn nation.
Russia's state-controlled air carrier Aeroflot said July 23 that it will end flights to Damascus in August because of a lack of demand.
Based on reporting by Reuters, AP, dpa, and AFP |
24 July 2012
RFERL.org
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