'Chemical arms moved to borders'

Syria's rebels accused strongman Bashar Al Assad on Tuesday of moving chemical weapons to the country's borders, a day after his beleaguered regime said it would use its stockpiles if attacked.

Helicopter gunships strafed rebel neighbourhoods of second city Aleppo, as heavy fighting forced the closure of a third of the shopping malls of what is Syria's commercial capital, pro-government media said.

But as rebel fighters suffered setbacks, notably in Damascus, the opposition Syrian National Council (SNC) said it would be willing to accept a transition led temporarily by a member of the regime if Assad steps aside.

The rebel Free Syrian Army said the regime's chemical arsenal had been moved in a bid to pressure the international community, much of which has called for Assad to step aside in the face of the more than 16-month uprising against his rule.

"We in the joint command of the Free Syrian Army inside the country know very well the locations and positions of these weapons," the statement said.

"We also reveal that Assad has transferred some of these weapons and equipment for mixing chemical components to airports on the border," a statement said.

"According to our information, the regime began moving its stocks of weapons of mass destruction several months ago... with the goal of putting pressure on the region and the international community."

At a Damascus news conference on Monday, foreign ministry spokesman Jihad Makdissi acknowledged that Syria has chemical weapons and said the regime would use them if attacked by outsiders, though not against its own civilians.

"Syria will not use any chemical or other unconventional weapons against its civilians, and will only use them in case of external aggression," Makdissi said.

"Any stocks of chemical weapons that may exist, will never, ever be used against the Syrian people," he said, adding that in the event of foreign attack, "the generals will be deciding when and how we use them."

US President Barack Obama warned Assad not to make the "tragic mistake" of unleashing chemical weapons.

"Given the regime's stockpile of chemical weapons, we will continue to make it clear to Assad and those around him that the world is watching," Obama told an audience of US veterans in the western state of Nevada.

"They will be held accountable by the international community and the United States should they make the tragic mistake of using those weapons," he added.

Makdissi stressed later in an email that Syria would "never use chemical and biological weapons during the crisis ... and that such weapons, if they exist, it is natural for them to be stored and secured."

In a sign that the opposition is looking for a political solution following some reversals suffered by the rebels, the SNC said it would be prepared to consider a transition similar to that which saw a transfer of power in Yemen following months of revolt against veteran strongman Ali Abdullah Saleh.

"We would agree to the departure of Assad and the transfer of his powers to a regime figure, who would lead a transitional period like what happened in Yemen," SNC spokesman George Sabra told AFP.

Asked about who might lead such a transition, Sabra said "Syria has patriotic figures both in the regime and among officers in the Syrian army who could take such a role."

Activists and regime sources say government forces have reclaimed most of Damascus after a week of heavy fighting with rebels, who remain in the city but are planning a guerrilla strategy.

Clashes continued Tuesday, with the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reporting at least 33 people killed nationwide.

"At least seven civilians, including six children, were killed by regime forces shelling of the besieged town of Herak," south of Damascus, the watchdog said.

A video it distributed showed the bodies of dead children, including a young girl in a pink and white dress, lying on a blood-smeared floor, the faces of some of them covered in blood.

"Herak has been under shelling for 10 days," an unidentified man says in the amateur video.

"The world is watching. Where are the Arabs and Muslims when these children are killed during Ramadan?" he pleaded, referring to the Muslim holy month which began last week. "Bashar, I hope your children will suffer the same fate."

In Aleppo, the Observatory said helicopter gunships were firing on the Qadi Askar, Bab Al-Hadid, Al-Katergi and Karam Al-Jabal districts.

The Al-Watan newspaper, close to the government, reported that six shopping malls -- a third of the commercial hub's total -- had been forced to close because of "regrettable events" in certain areas.

Russian President Vladimir Putin of Russia, the Syrian regime's main international ally, warned of a protracted civil war should rebels be allowed to oust Assad.

"We are afraid that if the country's current leadership is removed from power unconstitutionally, then the opposition and today's leadership may simply change places," Interfax news agency quoted Putin as saying.
In that case "a civil war will stretch on for who knows how long," the Russian leader warned.

New security service chief

Meanwhile, Syria has named General Ali Mamluk as the new head of the national security office in a shakeup of the security services after a bombing killed top figures last week, a security source told AFP on Tuesday.

"General Ali Mamluk, who was head of state security, is becoming the head of the bureau of national security, with the rank of minister, overseeing the entire security apparatus," the source said.
 

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