'The possible use of chemical weapons would be completely unacceptable to the whole international community and I would expect an immediate reaction from the international community,' NATO head Anders Fogh Rasmussen said.
Syria's chemical weapons stockpiles were 'a matter of great concern,' Rasmussen said, adding: 'This is also the reason why it is a matter of urgency to ensure effective defence and protection of our ally Turkey.'
Turkey's request for US-made surface-to-air Patriot missiles on its border is worrying Russia, but both NATO and Ankara insist they would be purely defensive.
US President Barack Obama on Monday issued a new warning to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad not to use chemical weapons against his own people, as the conflict approaches the 21-month mark with more than 41,000 people killed.
'I want to make it absolutely clear to Assad and those under his command, the world is watching, the use of chemical weapons is and would be totally unacceptable,' Obama said.
'If you make the tragic mistake of using these weapons, there will be consequences and you will be held accountable.'
France, with traditional interests in the region, made a similar point.
'The leaders in Damascus must know the international community is watching them and will react' if chemical weapons are used, French foreign ministry spokesman Vincent Floreani said.
The Syrian government, fighting to prevent the capital Damascus from falling to rebel forces, on Monday reiterated it would never resort to chemical weapons.
Saudi Arabia meanwhile urged the international community to take a unified position on Syria after the rebel groups formed a coalition last month.
'We see in forming the new Syrian coalition an important positive step towards uniting the opposition under one banner,' Prince Saud al-Faisal said.
'We hope to see a similar step towards uniting the positions and views of the international community in dealing with the Syrian issue,' the foreign minister added.
Saudi Arabia has openly called for arming the Syrian rebels.
On the ground on Tuesday, the Syrian army blasted a string of rebel zones on the eastern and southwestern outskirts of Damascus.
Rami Abdel Rahman, director of the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, said 'the army is trying at all costs to keep the rebels out of Damascus.
'The rebels are pushing hard to enter into the city but they have not been able to make the advance they are hoping for,' he added.
Pro-regime daily Al-Watan reported that the army is 'making progress in all directions in Damascus province, chiefly in villages along the road linking the capital to the international airport.'
Syrian state television meanwhile reported that a rebel attack on a school near Damascus on Tuesday killed nine students and their teacher.
In the face of deteriorating security, the United Nations on Monday suspended operations in Syria and said it would pull out non-essential staff, while the European Union reduced its activities in Damascus to a minimum.
Against this backdrop, Syria and Turkey's request for help to boost its defence was dominating the two-day NATO meeting in Brussels, which was to dedicate some time also to strained ties with Moscow.
Military sources in Turkey have said NATO is considering the deployment of up to six Patriot batteries and some 300-400 foreign troops to operate them.
The Patriot, designed mainly to bring down missiles but effective also against aircraft, would likely be supplied by Germany, The Netherlands or the United States.
No comments:
Post a Comment