U.S. ambassador to Syria: no evidence to back chemical weapons report
Source: Reuters
U.S. ambassador to Syria: no evidence to back chemical weapons report
By Patricia Zengerle and Mark Hosenball
WASHINGTON | Wed Mar 20, 2013 11:28am EDT
(Reuters) - The U.S. ambassador to Syria told Congress on Wednesday that there is so far no evidence to back reports that chemical weapons were used in Syria on Tuesday.
"So far, we have no evidence which substantiates the reports that chemical weapons were used yesterday. But I want to underline that we are looking very carefully at these reports," Robert Ford, who was recalled from Damascus in February 2012, said during a U.S. House of Representatives hearing.
Separately, U.S. and European officials told Reuters there was no confirmation that either the forces of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad or his rebel opponents had used chemical weapons, as each side had asserted.
"We can't corroborate the CW claims at this point," one U.S. official said, speaking on condition of anonymity. Another official said the U.S. government was continuing to investigate.
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