Syria: western-backed rebels may use chemical weapons

DAMASCUS - The Syrian government expressed on Saturday concerns that the countries that support the rebels may provide them with chemical weapons and later frame the Syrian government.

"We seriously fear that some of countries backing terrorism and terrorists might provide the armed terrorist groups with chemical weapons and claim that it is the Syrian government that used the weapons," Syria's Foreign Ministry said in a letter sent to the UN on Saturday.

The ministry warned that the "terrorist groups" might resort to using chemical weapons against the Syrian people, and denounced " the international community's inaction" after the "terrorist groups" recently took hold of a chlorine processing plant in the east of the northern city of Aleppo.

The ministry's remarks came as the United States and its Western allies have recently raised concerns over the Syrian chemical arsenal and speculated that Syria might use those weaponries against the armed militias.

However, Syria has repeatedly stressed that even if it had those weapons, it would not use them against people.

The ministry also cited a report by the Turkish Yurt newspaper, which has recently said that members from al-Qaida are manufacturing chemical weapons at a laboratory near the Turkish city of Gaziantep, and that they have threatened to use them against the Syrian civilians.