France to intervene if Syria's chemical attack proven true

France would introduce "intervention measures" against the Syrian regime if allegations that it was responsible for a chemical attack on civilians proved to be accurate, French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said on Thursday.

Speaking to local news channel CNEWS, Le Drian noted that no evidence had yet been found on the alleged use of toxic gas in Syria, Xinhua news agency reported.

He did, however, say that "there is an accumulation of convergences, accumulation of indications suggesting that chemical weapons can be used or have already been used".

"If the use of chemical weapons was found, verified, attributed and the use of the chemical weapon left people dead", the French state would take "intervention measures to prevent the proliferation of chemical weapons," the top diplomat said, without giving further details on how the intervention plan would be implemented.

According to a UN commission of inquiry on war crimes report released on Tuesday, forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad are likely to have used chemical arms on the rebel-held enclave of Eastern Ghouta near Damascus.

The Syrian government has repeatedly rejected allegations of using chemical arms which it said were handed to the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons as part of a 2013 accord brokered by Moscow and Washington.

--IANS

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