‘Assad could use chemical weapons’

Syrian president Bashar Assad is prepared to use chemical weapons and may already have done so, it was claimed today.

Nawaf Fares, the former ambassador to Iraq who is the most senior Syrian politician to defect, said the regime could use its stockpile of chemical weapons against rebels if it was in danger of falling.

His comments came as Syrian government forces were said to have used helicopter gunships to fire heavy machineguns at rebels in Damascus.

Mr Fares said in an interview with the BBC that Assad was like “a wounded wolf and cornered”, adding: “There is information, unconfirmed information of course, that chemical weapons have been used partially in the city of Homs.”

He also claimed that al Qaeda is collaborating with the regime. “Al Qaeda is searching for space to move and means of support, the regime is looking for ways to terrorise the Syrian people,” he said.

Arab League envoy Kofi Annan was due to hold talks with Russian president Vladimir Putin and UN leader Ban Ki-moon was travelling to China for talks. Russia and China have so far blocked calls for tougher sanctions against Syria during the 16-month uprising in which 17,000 are reported to have been killed.