Syria gas-attack claims draw calls for action

Turkey, France urge decisive action if use of gas is confirmed

By Inti Landauro

Reuters

Syrian activists inspect the bodies of people they say were killed by nerve gas in the Duma neighborhood of Damascus.

France and other opponents of Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad decried the alleged large-scale use of chemical weapons, with some officials calling for concerted action if the allegations are confirmed.

But Western nations, which have led a campaign to bring down the Assad regime, face a dilemma that has dogged them since the start of civil war more than two years ago: whether they could intervene in Syria without clashing with its two powerful supporters, Russia and Iran.

Reuters

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad during 2012 celebration of the prophet Mohammed's birthday.

The U.S. suspects chemical weapons were indeed used by the Syrian government on Wednesday, a senior administration official said, but Washington said further investigation would be necessary to be certain. Syrian authorities denied using chemical weapons in their renewed offensive on Wednesday.

French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said the international community must act with force in Syria if the use of poison gas is confirmed in attacks Wednesday that opposition groups said killed more than 1,100 people.

If the use of chemical weapons in the attack near Damascus is confirmed, the United Nations Security Council should act decisively, Fabius told French television. Should Russia veto such a move, a decision must be reached in another way, he said, without elaborating, though he ruled out the deployment of ground troops.

 

Syria opposition appeals to U.N.

Syrian rebels have accused government forces of killing hundreds in an alleged gas attack. The Syrian government has denied the accusation.

The Kremlin has opposed international action against the Assad regime, its longtime client for military equipment, arguing that outside powers shouldn’t interfere in Syria’s domestic politics and warning of al Qaeda elements among the rebels there. The Russian government rejected the opposition allegations Wednesday and suggested the chemical weapons originated in rebel territory.

The U.N. Security Council in an emergency session Wednesday called for a prompt investigation into the allegations. A U.N. mission is on the ground in Damascus, sent to the country to investigate previous alleged incidents.

“If the regime doesn’t have anything to fear, it should let the investigators investigate,” Fabius said.