'All points to Damascus blame in chemical attack'

French President Francois Hollande told his US counterpart Barack Obama today that "everything was consistent" with the conclusion that Damascus was behind last week's suspected chemical attack.

"The head of state condemned the use of chemical weapons in Syria and indicated that everything was consistent with designating the Damascus regime as the perpetrator of these unacceptable attacks," the French president's office said in a statement.

"The two presidents agreed to stay in close contact to arrive at a joint response to this unprecedented aggression," the statement said.