“Syria Chemical Weapons Would Be Used only in Case of Foreign Attack”

Monday 23 July 2012

“Syria Chemical Weapons Would Be Used only in Case of Foreign Attack”

Local Editor

Syria foreign ministry stressed on Monday it would not use chemical weapons against its people, stressing Damascus’ commitment to UN special envoy Kofi Annan.

"Syria will not use any chemical or other unconventional weapons against its civilians, and will only use them in case of external aggression," foreign ministry spokesman Jihad Maqdissi told a media conference in Damascus.

"Any stocks of chemical weapons that may exist, will never, ever be used against the Syrian people," he said, adding that in the event of foreign attack, "the generals will be deciding when and how we use them."

Maqdissi warned against "the possibility of foreign parties arming terrorist groups... with bacteriological weapons that might explode in a village, so that Syrian forces can then be blamed."
He slammed an Arab League meeting which asked for resident Bashar al-Assad to step down, saying all Arab statements on halting violence in Syria were hypocritical.

"We are sorry that the Arab League has descended to this level concerning a member state of this institution," he said, adding that “this decision only concerns the Syrian people, who are the sole masters of fate of their governments."

"If the Arab nations who met in Doha were honest about wanting to stop the bloodshed they would have stopped supplying arms... they would stop their instigation and propaganda," Maqdissi said, adding: "All their statements are hypocritical."

He considered the decisions taken by the Arab League as a “flagrant interference in Syria’s internal affairs.”

Maqdissi also stressed that the Syrian army was in a defense action, warning that “everyone who holds weapon must be met by weapon.”

Meanwhile, the spokesman voiced Damascus’ commitment to Annan’s plan until achieving success, noting: “It is clear who is hindering the mission and who is funding and arming.”

“Earlier, they hindered the Arab observer’s mission. Then they voted to send international mission,” Maqdissi said, stressing: “Who decides the suspension of the mission is the UN Security Council.”