Obama sets red line over Syria's chemical weapons
WASHINGTON, Aug. 20 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Barack Obama on Monday warned the Syrian government against using chemical weapons in conflicts with the opposition forces or letting them fall into the wrong hands, calling it a "red line" that would change his calculus in his approach to the prolonged conflict in the Middle East nation.
The issue of chemical and biological weapons concerns not only Syria, but also Washington's close allies in the region, including Israel, and the United States itself, Obama said.
"We cannot have a situation where chemical or biological weapons are falling into the hands of the wrong people," he told an impromptu White House news conference.
"We have been very clear to the al-Assad regime, but also to other players on the ground that a red line for us is, we start seeing a whole bunch of chemical weapons moving around or being utilized," he said, stressing "That would change my calculus. That would change my equation."
Syria's stockpile of chemical weapons, which Western powers believe is one of the world's largest, has been a growing concern for Washington and its allies as unrest in the Arab nation has dragged on for 18 months.
The Syrian government has said that it will never use its stockpile, believed to include sarin nerve agent, mustard gas and cyanide, in the ongoing conflicts with the opposition forces, except in case of "external aggression."
Obama called the Syrian conflict "a very tough issue," saying he has not ordered military engagement in the situation there, but rather focused on providing humanitarian assistance to the Syrians affected as well as aid to the opposition in managing a political transition.
He reiterated Washington's long-held call for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to step down, saying "The international community has sent a clear message that rather than drag his country into civil war, he should move in the direction of a political transition."
"But at this point the likelihood of a soft landing seems pretty distant," Obama remarked.
He said Washington is monitoring the situation very carefully and has put together "a range of contingency plans."
奥巴马说叙政府若动用生化武器将会引发"严重后果"
新华网华盛顿８月２０日电（记者 易爱军 冉维）美国总统奥巴马２０日警告说，若叙利亚政府在冲突中动用生化武器将引发“严重后果”。
奥巴马在白宫临时召集的新闻发布会上说，若叙利亚政府使用生化武器，或者生化武器落入“不合意人之手”，就是触碰了美国的“红线”，美国将因此改变在叙利亚问题上的考量。
奥巴马表示，叙利亚冲突是一个“非常艰难的”问题，目前他尚未下令军事介入，而是把重点放在提供人道主义援助和帮助叙利亚反对派筹划政治过渡上。他再次呼吁叙利亚总统巴沙尔·阿萨德下台，但认为目前叙利亚实现政治过渡“软着陆”的可能性“相当遥远”。他说，美国在密切关注叙国内局势，并制订了“一系列应急计划”。
另据巴黎消息，法国总统弗朗索瓦·奥朗德２０日在巴黎会见联合国－阿盟叙利亚危机联合特别代表拉赫达尔·卜拉希米时强调，叙利亚总统巴沙尔离职是叙利亚危机获得政治解决的前提。
西方国家认为，叙利亚存储大量生化武器，其中包括沙林神经毒剂、芥子气和氰化物。叙利亚政府上月表示，除非面临“外来侵略”，叙利亚政府不会在冲突中使用生化武器。
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