敘利亞活動人士指責政府再次使用化學武器

Syrian activists say at least 100 people have been killed in a government offensive near the capital, Damascus, where forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad are alleged to have used chemical weapons.

Syria quickly denied allegations of a chemical attack. State media reported military activity in the area, saying that government forces had killed "terrorists" - a term used to refer to rebels opposed to Mr. Assad.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the military fired rockets at sites in Eastern Ghouta and Western Ghouta. It cited activists in the area who said "poisonous gasses" were used.

Britian and the Arab League have called on Syria to allow U.N. invesigators already in the country to examine sites of the alleged chemical attacks.

British Foreign Secretary William Hague said he was "deeply concerned" about the reported chemical attacks, and said if proven true, they represent a "shocking escalation." He said Britain will refer the matter to the U.N. Security Council.

The violence comes as United Nations chemical weapons inspectors carry out a two-week mission in Syria to investigate earlier incidents in which the Syrian government and rebels accused each other of carrying out chemical attacks敘利亞活動人士說，政府軍在首都大馬士革附近發動攻勢，打死至少100人。敘利亞活動人士還指責政府軍在星期三的襲擊中使用了化學武器，

敘利亞政府立即對這種說法予以否認。 敘利亞國營媒體報道了大馬士革附近的軍事活動，說政府軍消滅了恐怖主義分子。 當局一直將反對阿薩德的反叛者稱作恐怖主義分子。

總部設在英國的敘利亞人權瞭望臺說，敘利亞軍隊向東戈塔和西戈塔幾處地點發射火箭彈。該組織援引當地活動人士的話說，政府軍使用了“有毒氣體”。

英國和阿拉伯聯盟要求敘利亞允許已在敘利亞境內的聯合國調查人員到所說的化學武器使用現場進行實地考察。

英國外交大臣黑格說， 他對有關敘利亞軍隊使用化學武器的說法非常擔心。如果被證明確有發生，這就意味着衝突令人震驚地升級了。他說，英國將在聯合安理會提出這一問題。

在敘利亞發生暴力事件之際，聯合國化學武器檢查員在敘利亞執行爲期兩星期的使命，對早些時候發生的事件進行調查，敘利亞政府和反政府武裝都指責對方使用化學武器。