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French government declassifies intelligence data regarding use of chemical weapons by Syria

05 September 2013 14:25 (UTC +04:00)

APA reports that the assessment of Syria’s chemical warfare programme basing on French intelligence sources has been reflected in the document released by the Embassy of France in Azerbaijan.

“Syria detains one of the world’s most important operational chemical weapons stockpile, accumulated within the framework of a long-standing and diversified programme, which has been monitored for a long time by French and partner intelligence services. Syria has above 1000 ton of chemical agents and precursor chemicals, including several hundreds of tons of sulfur mustard, sarin and VX toxic.”

The document says that Bashar al-Assad regime has already used chemical weapons in Eastern Ghouta: “French competent services have obtained samples either biomedical (blood, urine), environmental (ground) or material (munitions debris), taken on victims or on the sites during the attacks in Saraqeb (Apri 29, 2013) and Jobar (mid-April 2013). Our analyses have confirmed the use of sarin. These previous events and the simultaneous and massive use of chemical agents during the night of

August 21, 2013 on the East suburbs of Damascus confirm that the Syrian regime has deliberately crossed a step.

Finally, we consider that the Syrian opposition does not have the capacity to lead an operation of that size with chemical agents. No group belonging to the Syrian opposition has, at this stage, the capacity to stock and use these agents.”