Chemical weapons claim ‘a ploy by US’

BEIRUT: The US wants to oust the Damascus regime by raising fears overs its chemical weapons stockpiles, creating a scenario similar to that which led to the invasion of Iraq, Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Muallem said in a broadcast yesterday.

“This issue (chemical weapons) is an invention of the American administration,” Muallem said.

But Muallem remained vague on whether President Bashar al-Assad’s regime possesses chemical weapons, despite Damascus acknowledging in July that it has such stockpiles.

“These chemical weapons in Syria, if they exist … how is it possible that we would use them against our own people? It’s a joke,” he said.

“… it is a myth they invented to launch a campaign against Syria like they did in Iraq,” he said.

A US-led coalition had invaded Iraq in March 2003, accusing Saddam Hussein of having weapons of mass destruction. No such weapons were ever found.

Damascus has threatened to use chemical weapons if attacked by outside countries.

The admission raised deep concerns among the international community, with the US saying Damascus would be making a “tragic mistake” if it decided to deploy its arsenal.

Rebel fighters claimed in July that the Syrian government had moved some of these weapons to the country’s borders. Experts say these stocks, are the largest in the Middle East. – Sapa-AFP