MSF ‘confirms chemical weapons used’ in Damascus

Syrian rebel fighters take aim at Kurdish fighters outside Raqqa London – Arab Today Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) says it has treated around 3600 patients with \"neurotoxic symptoms\" in Syria, of whom 355 died. It said the patients arrived in three hospitals it supports in the Damascus governorate on Wednesday, when opposition activists say the ruling regime launched deadly chemical attacks on the outskirts of the capital.
The statement by MSF, released on Saturday, appears to be the first independent confirmation that chemical weapons were used.
MSF Director of Operations, Dr Bart Janssens, said the organisation could not scientifically confirm the cause of the neurotoxic symptoms, but that the events “strongly indicate mass exposure to a neurotoxic agent”.
The statement came as the Syrian National Coalition Ahmad Jarba raised its estimate of the death toll from the attack to 2000 people, saying most of them were women and children.
In a press conference on Saturday, coalition head Ahmad Jarba labelled the attack a “crime of genocide” and said information-gathering by the coalition made it clear that the Syrian regime was fully responsible.  
Urging foreign intervention, Jarba said the USA and the rest of the international community now had to be serious and firm in their support of Syrians.
Earlier on Saturday, a top UN official arrived in Damascus on Saturday to press for an inquiry into alleged chemical weapons attacks, after Washington suggested it is weighing military action against Syria\'s regime.
As Under Secretary General Angela Kane arrived at a Damascus hotel, the Syrian government accused rebels of having used chemical weapons northeast of the capital in Wednesday\'s attacks.
US Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel said commanders were mulling \"options\" should President Barack Obama decide to use military action against Syria.
The New York Times cited a senior US administration official as saying Washington was looking at NATO\'s air war over Kosovo in 1999 as a blueprint for strikes on Syria without a UN mandate.
French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius piled the pressure on Damascus, saying the regime carried out a \"chemical massacre\", following similar accusations from his British counterpart.
\"All the information at our disposal converge to indicate that there was a chemical massacre near Damascus and that the Bashar regime is responsible,\" Fabius said on a visit to the West Bank.
His comments came as Damascus ally Iran pointed to the use of chemical weapons in Syria for the first time, blaming the rebels and warning the West against any military intervention.
The opposition accuses President Bashar al-Assad\'s of launching deadly gas attacks on Wednesday southwest and east of the capital.
State television on Saturday countered these claims and said soldiers who tried to enter the rebel-held area had \"suffocated\" on gases.
\"An army unit is surrounding a sector of Jobar where terrorists used chemical weapons,\" it said in reference to the rebels who have been trying to topple Assad since 2011.
UN chief Ban Ki-moon has handed Kane the task of establishing the terms of an inquiry in talks with Syrian officials and has also called on the rebels to cooperate.
Ban is determined to \"conduct a thorough, impartial and prompt investigation\" into the chemical claims, his spokesman said.
Syria has yet to say if it will let UN experts -- already on the ground since Sunday to probe three other sites -- to inspect the latest allegations.
France wants \"force\" to be used against the Syrian regime if the claims are confirmed but Obama has voiced caution.
US commanders have nevertheless prepared a range of \"options\" for the president if he chooses to proceed with military strikes against Damascus, Hagel said on Friday.
\"The Defence Department has a responsibility to provide the president with options for all contingencies,\" he said.
\"And that requires positioning our forces, positioning our assets to be able to carry out different options -- whatever the president might choose.\" He did not elaborate.
A defence official said the US Navy would expand its presence in the Mediterranean with a fourth warship armed with cruise missiles.
But Iran said \"proof\" indicated rebels were behind the chemical attacks.
\"We are very concerned about information regarding the use of chemical weapons in Syria, and we strongly condemn the use of such weapons,\" foreign ministry spokesman Abbas Araqchi said, quoted by Iran’s ISNA news agency.
\"There is proof terrorist groups carried out this action,\" Araqchi said without elaborating.
Iran also warned against any Western military intervention in the 29-month conflict.
\"There is no international authorisation for a military intervention in Syria. We warn against any actions or statements that could create more tension in the region. I hope that White House officials show enough wisdom not to enter into such dangerous tumult,\" Araqchi added.
Harrowing footage released by activists showing unconscious children, people foaming around the mouth and doctors apparently giving them oxygen has triggered revulsion around the world.
British Foreign Secretary William Hague blamed Syria saying it carried out a \"large scale\" chemical attack and insisted that Damascus give UN inspectors access to the suspect sites.
Russia urged Damascus to cooperate with the UN but dismissed calls for use of force against its ally.
The foreign ministry said Internet footage distributed by the opposition said to implicate the regime had been posted \"several hours before the so-called attack\".
In statements published on Saturday, German Chancellor Angela Merkel accused Russia and China of having blocked a UN text demanding the inspectors be given unfettered access.
Syria\'s main opposition National Coalition pledged to guarantee the safety of the inspectors but warned the \"clock is ticking\" before alleged evidence vanishes.
One year ago, Obama warned the use of chemical weapons in Syria would cross a \"red line\" and have \"enormous consequences\".
The United Nations says more than 100,000 people have been killed in Syria since an uprising against Assad\'s rule flared in March 2011, while millions more have fled the country or been internally displaced.