Turkish PM dismisses Syria accusations over alleged chemical attack

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan refuted as totally groundless the accusations leveled against his country by the Syrian government over alleged attack with chemical weapons on a site near Aleppo city on Tuesday morning. The Republic of Turkey has never used chemical weapons and its arsenal contains none of such weapons, he told reporters here shortly after the Syrian government complained to the UN about the attack by the rebel Free Syrian Army (FSA). Erdogan accused the Syrian regime of using the internationally-banned weapons against its own people and then blames the FSA for it. The idea of using the chemical weapons suits only the nature of the Syrian regime which used such weapons against its own people in the past and is still using them, he argued. The Syrian accusations against Turkey are totally groundless lies and mere fabrications; the regime in Syria can never provide a grain of truth that could prove such accusations, Erdogan charged. He was commenting on the remarks made earlier today by Syrian Minister of Information Omran Al-Zo'abi who alleged that Turkey and Qatar bear the moral and political responsibilities for the chemical attack by the FSA near the northern city of Aleppo. The FSA also denied involvement in the attack which has reportedly killed 31 persons.