Syria: UK echoes US warning on chemical weapons

UK's Prime Minister David Cameron has echoed a warning by the US to Syria, saying that the use or even threat of chemical weapons by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad could trigger a military response in the region.

According to the Guardian, the two leaders agreed that they would revisit their approach if Assad made any moves towards using chemical weapons.

On Monday, US President Barack Obama stated that "We have been very clear to the Assad regime, but also to other players on the ground, that a red line for us is we start seeing a whole bunch of chemical weapons moving around or being utilized. That would change my calculus. That would change my equation."

Cameron, who agreed that the use of chemical weapons in Syria would be "completely unacceptable" also reportedly spoke with French President Francois Hollande about Syria, and the two nations agreed to "work more closely to identify how they could bolster the opposition and help a potential transitional Syrian government after the inevitable fall of Assad".

BBC News reported that Chinese state media had accused Obama's statements as an excuse for military intervention.

A commentary, published in Xinhua, stated that "Once again, Western powers are digging deep for excuses to intervene militarily," and compared Obama's warning with "hypocritical talks (sic.) of eliminating weapons of mass destruction in Iraq."  

BBC reported that fierce fighting has continued across Syria on Wednesday. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a UK based watchdog organization, said that at least 115 people, including 71 civilians were killed yesterday.