France says chlorine gas is a WMD if used by Syrian military

PARIS, Feb 14 (KUNA) -- France, which has threatened to strike the Syrian military in case of proven WMD use, said on Wednesday that while chlorine is not classified legally as a chemical weapon it becomes one if diverted and used for military purposes.
The Foreign Ministry said in a briefing that Paris is currently "assessing whether a chemical of toxic substance has been used" in Syria but this requires "in-depth scientific analysis in a laboratory." On Tuesday, President Emmanuel Macron warned that France would act unilaterally to strike the "source" of any chemical weapons use in Syria, but he said there was still no conclusive proof that chemical weapons had been used by the Damascus regime after it agreed to dismantling its WMD arsenal and eliminating its stockpile of such weapons.
"France enforces this very strict rule before taking any measures and is actively working with its partners on recent reports of chemical weapons attacks in Syria," the Foreign Ministry added.
"As President Macron indicated, France continues to be extremely vigilant and will not accept any violation of the Chemical Weapons Convention," it cautioned.
Concerning the status of chlorine gas, Paris said that this substance is not necessarily prohibited under the international conventions banning WMD, which Syria signed in 2014.
"This does not however preclude the fact that chlorine gas may be a chemical weapon that is prohibited by the convention when it is diverted from its peaceful purpose and used as a chemical weapon, notably as a choking agent, as might currently be the case in Syria," France remarked.
Syria on Wednesday denied any longer possessing or using any chemical weapons. (end) jk.sd