MOSCOW, September 21 (RIA Novosti) - In response to US Secretary of State John Kerry's accusations of using chlorine chemicals, the government of Syria has stated that the country has handed down all the chemical weaponry it possessed and that it complies with international conventions on arms control, AFP reported Sunday referencing Syria's Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
"Syria has fulfilled its obligations by adhering to the Chemical Weapons Convention," Syria's Foreign Ministry was quoted by AFP as saying Sunday. "It cooperated fully with the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons and no longer possesses these weapons."
Syria's Foreign Ministry released the statement following accusations by Kerry of using chlorine chemicals.
"We believe there is evidence of Assad's use of chlorine, which when you use it - despite it not being on the list - it is prohibited under the Chemical Weapons Convention," Kerry was quoted by AFP as telling the US House of Representatives.
In September, the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) said that chlorine gas had been used "systematically and repeatedly" earlier this year in northern Syria. The OPCW, however, had no information on who was using the toxic chemical. Syrian authorities have blamed Jabhat al-Nusra, a radical group linked to al-Qaeda, for carrying out chemical weapons attacks.
The armed conflict in Syria has killed more than 191,000 since it broke out in March 2011, according to UN estimates. Government troops are opposed by numerous militias, including terrorist groups recruiting fighters from all over the world.
