Israel's Peres urges world to 'take out' Syria chemicals

JERUSALEM - Agence France-Presse

"The time has come to make an international attempt to take out all the chemical weapons in Syria," Israeli President Shimon Peres said. AFP photo

Israeli President Shimon Peres called Sunday for an international effort to "take out" chemical weapons in Syria after claims the Damascus regime used them in a deadly attack this week.
 
"The time has come to make an international attempt to take out all the chemical weapons in Syria," Peres said, without elaborating if he envisioned this being achieved through military strikes or otherwise.
 
"It's very complicated, very expensive, but it will be more expensive and more dangerous to keep" the situation as it is, Peres added.
 
Doctors Without Borders said that 355 people of the thousands treated at three hospitals died with "neurotoxic" symptoms stemming from attacks on Wednesday near Damascus.
 
The regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and its opponents accuse each other of carrying out the attacks.
 
"I think it's unprecedented what's happening in Syria," said Peres.
 
"I can't believe that there has been the most unbelievable war crime which is the use of chemical weapons to kill hundreds of women and children," he said in remarks ahead of talks with visiting French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius.
 
For his part, Fabius reiterated the French stance that "everything indicates a chemical massacre, and its very heavy responsibility falls on Bashar Al Assad".
 
"We don't understand the absence of a strong reaction by the international community after the facts have been proven.
 
"If the international community stays silent in front of such massacre, the people will wonder who or what can we trust," the French minister warned.
 
Fabius was in Jerusalem for talks with senior Israeli officials, after Saturday meetings with the Palestinian president and prime minister.