France’s Francois Hollande said during a recently broadcast media interview that he believes Syrian forces were directed by President Bashar Assad to unleash chlorine gas onto the civilian population.
Mr. Hollande admitted to Europe 1 radio that he has no proof of Mr. Assad’s use of gas, but he does have “several elements” that suggest the recent use of chemical weapons by government forces.
“What I do know is what we have seen from this regime is the horrific methods it is capable of using and the rejection of any political transition,” he said, The Independent reported.
Meanwhile, France’s Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius concluded that there were “indications” of possible chemical weapons attacks by Mr. Assad against his own citizens that nonetheless still needed investigation, The Daily Mail reported.
Mr. Assad has until April 27 to turn over any chemical weapons he has to international authorities. Chlorine by itself is not a banned substance, but using it as a product of chemical weaponry has been prohibited by the Chemical Weapons Convention since 1925.
• Cheryl K. Chumley can be reached at cchumley@washingtontimes.com.
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