US contradiction: Washington denies, then affirms use of chemical weapons in Syria

Mohammed Abdul Ghaffar

The crisis in the use of chemical weapons has been linked to the Syrian issue since its first day. Western governments accused Syria of using internationally banned weapons in its confrontation with terrorist organizations. Syria and Russia accuse several international organizations operating in Syria of fabricating these attacks.

This issue has come to the fore again in the last two days, after confusion in US statements about the possibility of the Syrian government using chemical weapons on May 19.

Initially, the State Department said Tuesday (May 21st) that it had detected signs of the Syrian government’s resumption of chemical weapons.

The ministry added that the Syrian government used chlorine gas in a military attack on the town of Kabani, located in Lattakia countryside, on May 19, as part of military operations by the Syrian army in the northwest of the country, saying: “We are still collecting information about this incident.”

The US State Department said in its press statement that the United States and its allies would respond to any Syrian government use of chemical weapons “quickly and appropriately”, referring to the use of Western military operations inside Syria.

Despite this statement, the US Special Envoy to the Syrian Affairs James Jeffrey said in remarks before the House of Representatives International Affairs Committee, Wednesday, May 22, that there is no confirmed information in his country indicating the Syrian army’s use of chemical weapons recently.

He added: “We are following these developments with great interest, as reports on the use of chemical weapons, we can not confirm, but we follow this issue.”

The Syrian news agency SANA quoted military statements denying the Syrian army’s use of chemical weapons, adding that the media of the terrorist groups have been conveying these fabricated news after any defeat in front of the Syrian army forces.

A Syrian official in similar statements to the agency, denied the news, adding that Damascus is cooperating fully with the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, which confirmed that Syria is a state free of chemical weapons banned internationally.