REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, BEIRUT - The Syrian government on Friday dismissed US charges that it used chemical weapons as "full of lies," accusing President Barack Obama of resorting to fabrications to justify his decision to arm Syrian opposition group.
"The White House has issued a statement full of lies about the use of chemical weapons in Syria, based on fabricated information," a statement issued Friday by the Syrian Foreign Ministry said. "The United States is using cheap tactics to justify President Barack Obama's decision to arm the Syrian opposition," it said.
The statement also accused the US of "double standards," saying America claims to combat terrorism while providing support for "terrorist" groups in Syria, such as Jabhat al-Nusra, with arms and money. The group, also known as the Nusra Front, is an al-Qaida affiliate that has emerged as one of the most effective opposition factions in Syria.
The US decision to begin arming the opposition group, though details have not been completed, marks a deepening of US involvement in Syria's two-year civil war. The commander of the main opposition umbrella group welcomed the US move, saying it would lift his fighters' morale.
The US move comes as President Bashar Assad's forces have been scoring victories, driving the opposition group out of a key town near the Lebanese border and launching offensives in the center and north, targeting Aleppo, the nation's largest city.
US officials said the administration could provide the opposition fighters with a range of weapons, including small arms, ammunition, assault rifles and a variety of anti-tank weaponry such as shoulder-fired rocket-propelled grenades and other missiles. However, no final decisions have been made on the type of weaponry or when it would reach the opposition activists, according to the officials, who insisted on anonymity in order to discuss internal administration discussions with reporters.
In addition to the increased military aid, the US also announced Thursday it had conclusive evidence that Assad's regime has used chemical weapons, including the nerve agent sarin, on a small scale against opposition forces. The White House said multiple chemical attacks last year killed up to 150 people.
Obama has said the use of chemical weapons cross a "red line," triggering greater US involvement in the crisis.
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