DHAKA: US Secretary of State John Kerry has condemned what he said was the “undeniable” use of chemical weapons by the Syrian government.

He described recent attacks in the Damascus area as a “moral obscenity”.

The US and its allies are considering a response including possible military strikes on Syria, although Russia – Syria’s ally - has warned against this.

Earlier on Monday, United Nations chemical weapons inspectors were fired on while investigating the attacks.

The team came under sniper fire while travelling to one of the five sites around Damascus where hundreds of people were reported to have been killed on 21 August.

The Syrian government has denied launching any chemical attacks and instead blamed rebel fighters.

Mr Kerry said that, “What we saw in Syria last week should shock the conscience of the world. It defies any code of morality.”

“Make no mistake, President Obama believes there must be accountability for those who would use the world’s most heinous weapons against the world’s most vulnerable people.”

The US administration had additional information about the attacks that it would make public in the days ahead, he added.

Mr Kerry said the delay in allowing UN inspectors to the sites was a sign the Syrian government had something to hide.

“Instead it attacked the area further, shelling it and systematically destroying evidence. That is not the behaviour of a government that has nothing to hide. The regime’s belated decision to allow access is too late and is too late to be credible,” Mr Kerry said.

Later, US White House Spokesman Jay Carney echoed Mr Kerry’s comments, saying: “There is very little doubt in our mind that the Syrian regime is culpable.”

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad warned the US against military intervention in an interview with Russian newspaper Izvestiya on Monday.

“If someone is dreaming of making Syria a puppet of the West, then this will not happen,” he said.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov also told reporters on Monday the West had not produced any proof that President Assad’s forces had used chemical weapons.

He was responding to suggestions from some Western countries that military action against the Syrian government could be taken without a UN mandate.

Mr Lavrov said the use of force without Security Council backing would be “a crude violation of international law”.

The UN Security Council is divided, with Russia and China opposing military intervention and the UK and France warning that the UN could be bypassed if there was “great humanitarian need”.

Washington has recently bolstered its naval presence in the eastern Mediterranean and military leaders from the US, UK and their allies have convened a meeting in Jordan.

Analysts believe the most likely US action would be sea-launched cruise missiles targeting Syrian military installations.

Source: bbc
BDST: 0937 HRS, AUG 27, 2013
SR/RS/BSK