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Cameron recalls Parliament over Syria crisis
August 28, 2013, 3:29 am

[AP]

The Syrian government allowed UN weapons investigators to examine the site of one of the alleged attacks [AP]

British Prime Minister David Cameron has recalled Parliament in order to discuss the country’s response to a suspected chemical weapons attack in Syria.

Cameron said MPs would vote Thursday on a government motion on how to respond to last week’s suspected gas attack near Damascus.

The recall comes after an announcement from Downing Street that Britain’s armed forces are working on contingency plans for military action.

Last week the Syrian opposition claimed that some 1,300 people were killed in a chemical weapon attack carried out by the Syrian army on militant strongholds.

The Syrian government strongly denied the accusation.

On Monday, during a phone conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Cameron said “there was little doubt that this was an attack carried out by the Syrian regime.”

President Putin responded by saying that they did not have evidence of whether a chemical weapons attack had taken place or who was responsible.

The Arab League has said it holds the Syrian administration “fully responsible” for the attack in the suburbs of Damascus, according to Al Ahram Online.

However, Syria’s Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem told a press conference on Tuesday, “If there is anyone who accuses Syria of using chemical weapons, I challenge him to show any proof about his claim to the public.”

The Syrian government allowed UN weapons investigators to examine the site of one of the alleged attacks on Monday but the probing team had to postpone a second visit to the site on Tuesday due to safety concerns.

Downing Street has indicated that a decision could be taken before the results of the report by the UN weapons inspectors, Sky News reported.

British Foreign Secretary William Hague said previously that the West could act on Syria even without full UN Security Council backing.

On August 25, Russia warned the US and its allies not to repeat “past failures”  – alluding to the invasion of Iraq in 2003 – when it considers its options in formulating policy in response to the alleged chemical weapons attack.

Source: Agencies