MOSCOW, December 4 (RIA Novosti) - US President Barack Obama has warned Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad not to use chemical weapons against rebels.
“Today, I want to make it absolutely clear to Assad and those under his command: The world is watching. The use of chemical weapons is and would be totally unacceptable,” Obama said when speaking at the National Defense University in Washington.
“And if you make the tragic mistake of using these weapons, there will be consequences, and you will be held accountable,” he said.
Earlier Monday, US State Secretary Hillary Clinton issued a similar warning.
The warnings came amid intelligence reports suggesting Assad's regime could be getting ready to use chemical weapons.
Syria dismissed the claims. The country’s state television quoted the Foreign Ministry as saying Syria would never use chemical weapons against its own people.
The Syrian conflict has claimed tens of thousands of lives since the uprising against Assad started in March 2011, according to UN reports. The UN said on Monday it was pulling as many as 25 out of its 100 international staff out of Syria in response to the deteriorating situation around Damascus.
Russia, along with China, has drawn heavy Western criticism for its refusal to support UN sanctions against Assad's regime, Moscow’s sole remaining ally in the Arab world. Moscow said the proposed UN resolutions in fact betrayed a pro-rebel bias and would do nothing to bring peace.
