Washington Spreading Lies about Syrian Army Using Chemical Weapons in Eastern Ghouta

DAMASCUS, (ST)- Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates Faisal al-Mikdad has stressed that Washington is provoked by the Syrian Arab army’s victories over terrorism, therefore it is spreading lies and misleading news about the Syrian army using chemical weapons in Syria’s Eastern Ghouta, Idleb and other areas.

In a statement to journalists on Wednesday, Mikdad reiterated that no evidence has so far been found about the use of chemical weapons by the Syrian government forces, stressing that all the accusations are void as they are based on allegations presented by the so-called Syrian Civil Defense organization “the white helmets”  which has been publishing fabricated news and videos about events in Syria.

 The deputy minister urged the United Nations and the international community to investigate the US actions which threaten Syria’s territorial integrity and political independence, affirming that these actions aim at violating the sovereignty of a UN member state and liquidating the Syrian people and this directly contradicts the goals and basic tasks of the international organization which was established to preserve international peace and security.

Al-Mikdad went on to say that between January 15 and 17, 2018, the terrorists in Idleb used chemical weapons twice against advancing Syrian army forces.

“Our soldiers were exposed to a chlorine gas attack near Hwin village and Sinjar town in Idleb and as a result the soldiers needed medical treatment,” he added, asking why the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapon (OPCW) didn’t do its job in this case.

He pointed out that the OPCW’s refraining from doing its job plus the Western countries’ unwillingness to adopt any action against the terrorists’ using of chemical weapons raise questions about the existence of direct influence on the OPCW’s activities.

The OPCW has been proved ineffective in investigating chemical attacks in Syria, as the information it has collected about this issue are based on researches published on the internet and on interviews with some “witnesses” in other countries, said Mikdad, clarifying that the investigation must be credible and be conducted in site of the alleged incident.

Reacting to US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson’s claims that his country will maintain the presence of its forces in Syria to “continue eliminating terrorists”,  Mikdad said “we say to Tillerson and others that we will be able to eliminate the terrorists when they stop supporting them,” stressing that “the terrorists in Syria were eliminated thanks to joint efforts by the Syrian army and its allies.”

He elaborated by saying that two years after the establishment of the US-led coalition against Daesh, the terror organization’s control over Syrian areas was increased to reach almost 70%, and “here we need to ask why the presence of the US forces in Syria has strengthened terrorism in the country”.

 Hamda Mustafa