Turkey confirms chemical weapon use in Syria

There is no doubt that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's regime uses chemical weapons against the armed opposition and the civilian population, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said in an interview with Japanese newspaper Nikkei, Anadolu agency said today.

Erdogan said that he intends to discuss the issue of using chemical weapons by the Syrian authorities at a meeting with U.S. President Barack Obama during his visit to the U.S on May 16.

Prime Minister stressed that the armed opposition in Syria today is much stronger than the regime.

"The armed opposition is strong in ground operations," he said. "The Syrian army surpasses the opposition army in air operations, as the government army has modern fighter jets and helicopters."

The Syrian government said that on March 19 the opposition used chemical weapons in the province of Aleppo. The opposition stressed that the government forces used these weapons in Homs in December last year. In this case, the Syrian authorities refused to allow a mission of the UN experts on chemical weapons to enter the country. The investigation of both incidents has not been started.

The conflict has continued in Syria since March 2011. According to the UN, the total number of victims of the conflict in Syria exceeds 70,000.


/Trend/