Syria’s regime and opposition trade blame over chemical attack

Syria’s government and rebel forces are continuing to trade accusations over a chemical weapons attack on a northern village near Aleppo, which killed 31 people and injured hundreds. In a statement released today, The Syrian National Coalition (SNC), an umbrella organisation representing the rebel groups, called for an international investigation into the use of chemical weapons by the Syrian government, led by President Bashar al-Assad. The group blamed the assault on Assad forces and insisted that all individuals involved in the attack will be “held accountable.” In addition, Abdul Basit Altawil, a colonel in the Free Syrian Army (FSA), told Arabstoday that the “Free Syrian Army and any other rebel groups were not involved in the chemical attack on Aleppo.” According local media sources, yesterday’s attack involved the use of poison gas, which lead to many victims complaining of vomiting, headaches and nerve damage. Meanwhile, Syria’s Information Minister Omran al-Zoubi blamed the attack on the rebels, calling it the "first act" of the newly announced opposition interim government – referring to the recent appointment of Ghassan Hitto as the new prime minister of the SNC. The chemical attack has drawn widespread condemnation from the international community. The Secretary-General of the UN Security Council, Ban Ki-Moon said he was “deeply concerned about the allegations surrounding the use of chemical weapons inside Syria.” The UK’s Ministry of Defence confirmed today that it would be sending the Syrian rebels equipment designed to identify suspected chemical weapons. The country’s Prime Minister David Cameron also said he was considering removing the current embargo which prevents the UK and other countries from arming the Syrian opposition. “I felt sitting round the European Council chamber there was a slight similarity between some of the arguments that were being made about not putting more weapons into Syria that seemed to me to be very familiar to the discussions we had about Bosnia and the appalling events that followed,” said Cameron. Robert Ford, the US Syrian envoy, said America so far had “no evidence to substantiate” claims that chemical weapons had been used although the US administration did confirm today that it would not “stand in the way” of nations in favour of arming the opposition. Admiral James Stavridis, US European Commander for NATO revealed that some nations within the alliance are in the process of deciding whether to take military action against Syria. He added that any NATO decision will be based on the recommendations of the UN Security Council and will need the approval of the 28 member states involved in NATO. "We (NATO) are ready if we are asked to intervene," he added. However, the Secretary-General of NATO, Anders Fogh Rasmussen, told the European press on Monday that the alliance “does not want to engage in controversy over arming the Syrian opposition.” He reiterated maintaining an earlier policy keeping NATO out of the Syrian conflict.