Assad warns UN chemical weapons inspectors might face rebel attacks

Syrian President Bashar al Assad has warned chemical weapons inspectors of a probable attack by rebel forces to stop them from securing the stockpiles.

In an interview to Chinese state television channel CCTV in Damascus, Assad said his government will allow international experts to access its chemical weapons sites, but cautioned that rebels might block them from reaching some of the locations, the Washington Times reports.

He said some nations might ask the terrorists to attack the inspectors to prevent them from doing their jobs, and blame the Syrian government.

Syria has already provided the United Nations with a preliminary list of its chemical weapons stockpile as part of a recent diplomatic agreement with Russian and the United States authorities.

According to the agreement, the UN inspectors will take charge of Syria's chemical weapons stockpile before the end of November and destroy them.

He assured the chemical weapons are stored in a safe and secure location and said it was up to the Syrian government to guarantee the safety of inspectors.