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Assad Says West's Chem Weapons Claims Designed to Justify Attack on Syria

© REUTERS / Bassam KhabiehA man stands on rubble of damaged buildings in the besieged town of Douma, Eastern Ghouta, in Damascus, Syria March 30, 2018
A man stands on rubble of damaged buildings in the besieged town of Douma, Eastern Ghouta, in Damascus, Syria March 30, 2018 - Sputnik International
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MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Syrian President Bashar Assad has denied that Syria possessed a chemical arsenal and refuted the accusations of its use against civilians in the Syrian town of Duma in Eastern Ghouta.

"First of all, we don't have a chemical arsenal since we gave it up in 2013, and the international agency for chemical weapons conducted investigations about this, and it’s clear or documented that we don't have any," Assad said in an interview with the Kathimerini newspaper, the first one since the strikes launched by the United States, the United Kingdom and France in response to the alleged chemical attack.

The Syrian president noted that the "Western narrative" involving accusations of the use of chemical weapons had begun after the victory of the Syrian Army.

"It’s a farce, it’s a play, it’s a very primitive play, just to attack the Syrian Army, because… Why? That’s the most important part: When the terrorists lost, the US, France, the UK and their other allies who want to destabilize Syria lost one of their main cards, and that’s why they had to attack the Syrian Army, just to raise the morale of the terrorists and to prevent the Syrian Army from liberating more areas in Syria," Assad said.

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad meets with Russian parliamentary delegation in Damascus - Sputnik International
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The situation in Syria seriously escalated over the past several weeks after a number of media outlets and Western countries accused Damascus of using chemical weapons in the town of Duma. The Syrian government and Russia have refuted the allegations, saying that the alleged attack in Douma was staged by militants and the White Helmets organization to influence public opinion and justify possible foreign intervention.

READ MORE: France Will Strike Syria Again if Damascus Uses Chemical Weapons — Paris

On April 14, the United States, France and the United Kingdom carried out a missile attack on a number of targets in Syria, including the facilities in Barzeh and Jamraya, in response to the alleged attack in Douma. According to the Russian Defense Ministry, a total of 103 cruise missiles were launched by the United States and its allies, 71 of which were intercepted by Syria’s air defense systems.

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