Syrian chemical weapons worry
LONDON: The prospect of Syria’s chemical arsenal falling into the hands of Islamists who are fighting in the country’s bloody civil war is a matter of mounting concern for the West.
General Sir David Richards, the head of the British military, has raised his worries in Whitehall in recent weeks and European and US officials have held a series of meetings with governments in the region about the issue.
Although the US and UK governments still think a beleaguered regime on its last legs may use weapons of mass destruction, they also fear there is a danger of jihadist fighters gaining possession of stockpiles. The Obama administration has proscribed the AlNusra Brigade, one of the strongest of the rebel groups and one which declares itself affiliated to al-Qaeda, as a terrorist organisation.
The possibility that President Bashar al-Assad may unleash chemical weapons was one of the key reasons given for the deployment this week of Nato Patriot missiles to the Turkish border. At the end of last year Obama warned that the use of chemical weapons would mean the Assad regime had crossed a “red line” and must bear the consequences. The regime appeared to have stopped in its tracks in preparing such attacks and the US Defence Secretary, Leon Panetta, stated subsequently that the threat has been reduced.
An SAS team is believed to have observed an exercise carried out by US and Jordanian special forces in preparation for any operation which may have to be undertaken to secure the stockpiles. Defence sources in London stated that no plans existed at present to deploy British personnel for such a mission.
There is bound to be public
Danger that jihadist fighters may gain possession of stockpiles
scepticism towards claims about the Syrian regime and weapons of mass destruction after the exposure of similar false reports about Saddam Hussein’s arsenal used by the Bush and Blair administrations to justify invading Iraq.
Western officials insist, however, that there is ample evidence that the Damascus regime has the means to carry out chemical warfare and also evidence, of a more limited nature, that it has a biological warfare programme. One cause of apprehension is that the regime’s command and control of WMD has been severely damaged by casualties and defections.
A series of meetings have taken place involving military personnel from the US, France, countries in the region and Israel, whose Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, according to media reports in Jerusalem, met King Abdullah II of Jordan in Amman to discuss the matter. One aspect of Israeli concern is that Hezbollah, some of whose fighters have been fighting for the Assad regime, may be able to smuggle chemical weapons into Lebanon.
The vulnerability of the chemical stock is believed to have been discussed between US and Russian officials on a number of occasions. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov subsequently stated that the chemical stock was being kept in two centres and it would be “suicidal” for the Assad regime, which his government has supported during the uprising, to use them.