France says Syria chlorine samples may not prove conclusiveJune 5, 2014 - 17:15 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - France said on Thursday, June 5, samples it had collected suggesting Syrian government forces had used chlorine gas in the country's civil war may not prove to be conclusive and would need to be cross-checked with other information to determine its use, Reuters reported. The Organization for the Prevention of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) has opened an investigation into the alleged chlorine attacks, more than a dozen of which have been reported since April 11 in several areas. France, one of Assad's fiercest critics, was the first Western power to provide non-lethal military aid to rebels. It has been a vocal critic of United States policy on Syria since President Barack Obama backed down from launching air strikes following suspected chemical attacks last year. Syria agreed to hand over its entire chemical weapons stockpile after hundreds were killed in a sarin gas attack near Damascus. But Assad has denied using chemical weapons. In a daily briefing to reporters, French foreign ministry spokesman Romain Nadal said Paris, which has been examining about 14 samples for several weeks, would continue to do so in coordination with other nations. "Given that ... chlorine which is widely used for civilian purposes is very volatile, the results of the analysis may not necessarily prove to be conclusive, (and) will need to be complemented with other information," Nadal said. A French diplomatic source said among complementary information being studied was communication between Syrian officials, pieces of debris suspected to have been used in launching chlorine gas and medical evidence from people reported to have been affected by a gas, according to Reuters. "If there is no smoking gun, you need to put all the pieces of the puzzle together," said the source, adding that Paris was working with its main allies United States and Britain on building an exact picture of what happened. Another alleged chlorine attack took place on May 22 the day that Russia and China vetoed a French-drafted resolution to refer the situation in Syria to the International Criminal Court for possible prosecution of war crimes and crimes against humanity. Chlorine is likely to be less lethal than sarin but its use as a weapon is illegal under a global chemical weapons convention signed by Syria. Its use would also breach the terms of a deal last year between Washington and Moscow, itself now weeks behind schedule, aimed at ridding Syria of its chemical arsenal. Syria did not declare chlorine as part of its stockpile, further complicating the action to rid Assad of chemical arms. "We must increase our pressure on the Damascus regime and its backers to put a definitive end to the chemical threat that it places on its population," Nadal said. Top stories Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". The earthquake caused a temporary blackout, damaged many buildings and closed a number of rural roads. Partner news | Scholz hopes Armenia-Azerbaijan peace treaty will be signed this year German Chancellor Olaf Scholz hopes that a peace treaty between Armenia and Azerbaijan will be signed this year. Ucom equips four bus stops in Ijevan with free Wi-Fi Ucom now provides free Wi-Fi coverage in smart bus stops in four communities of Ijevan. Armenia, Russia discuss life extension of Metsamor nuclear plant Issues regarding the extension of life of the 2nd power unit of the Armenian Nuclear Power Plant were discussed in Yerevan. Armenians stage more campaigns against territorial concessions to Azerbaijan Protesters blocked more roads across Armenia on Friday, April 26 in continuing attempts to scuttle territorial concessions to Azerbaijan. |