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The
Syrian government has moved chemical weapons to airports on its borders, the
rebel Free Syrian Army said Tuesday, a day after the regime warned it could use
them if attacked by an outside force.
"We
in the joint command of the Free Syrian Army inside the country know very well
the locations and positions of these weapons," a statement from the FSA
said.
"We
also reveal that (President Bashar al-)Assad has transferred some of these
weapons and equipment for mixing chemical components to airports on the
border."
The
statement said the weapons had been moved in a bid to pressure the
international community, much of which has called for Assad to step aside in
the face of a 16-month uprising against his rule.
"According
to our information, the regime began moving its stocks of weapons of mass
destruction several months ago... with the goal of putting pressure on the
region and the international community," the FSA said.
But
the group said it was impossible to believe that the regime would use its
weapons against neighbouring Israel, which has publicly expressed concerns
about the fate of Syria s massive chemical weapons stocks.
"The
regime that has not fired a single bullet against Israel during the course of
three decades is certainly not going to use chemical weapons against that
country," the statement said.
The
Syrian regime made public reference to its chemical weapons stocks for the
first time on Monday, with foreign ministry spokesman Jihad Makdissi warning
they could be used if outside forces attacked.
"Syria
will not use any chemical or other unconventional weapons against its
civilians, and will only use them in case of external aggression,"
Makdissi told reporters.
"Any
stocks of chemical weapons that may exist, will never, ever be used against the
Syrian people," he said, adding that in the event of foreign attack,
"the generals will be deciding when and how we use them."
The
comments sparked international condemnation, including from the United States,
with US President Barack Obama warning Syria not to make the "tragic
mistake" of using such weapons.
Makdissi
backtracked somewhat later, stressing in an email that Syria would "never
use chemical and biological weapons during the crisis... and that such weapons,
if they exist, it is natural for them to be stored and secured."
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