Syria tries to clarify comments about WMD possession

The Syrian regime on Tuesday sought to clarify recent comments about the country's weapons of mass destruction, which the Foreign Ministry had said would only be used in the event of "external aggression." "The Foreign Ministry's statement was only a response to false allegations on WMD & explanation of guidelines of defensive policy," ministry spokesman Jihad Makdissi tweeted on Tuesday. During a press conference Monday, Makdissi specifically addressed Western media with the following comments in English: "Any stocks of WMD or any unconventional weapon that the Syrian Arab Republic possesses would never be used against civilians or against the Syrian people during this crisis at any circumstances, no matter how the crisis would evolve," Makdissi said. "All the stocks of these weapons that the Syrian Arab Republic possesses are monitored and guarded by the Syrian army. These weapons are meant to be used only and strictly in the event of external aggression against the Syrian Arab Republic." But on Tuesday, the regime accused some media outlets of taking Makdissi's comments out of context and "portraying it as a declaration of possessing non-traditional weapons." "The Ministry said that the goal of the statement and the press conference wasn't to declare but rather to respond to a methodical media campaign targeting Syria to prepare world public opinion for the possibility of military intervention under the false premise of weapons of mass destruction (similar to what happened with Iraq) or the possibility of using such weapons against terrorist groups or civilians," the state-run Syrian Arab News Agency reported Tuesday. The rebel Free Syrian Army, however, said the Syrian regime moved around stockpiles of chemical and biological weapons about 15 days ago, citing intelligence from cells inside the regime. The FSA is largely composed of soldiers who defected from President Bashar al-Assad's forces. One portion of the stockpile was transferred to the Syrian coast, and another was transferred to airports along the southern border, FSA Col. Mustapha Sheikh told CNN. The Syrian government's comments about weapons of mass destruction came after months of international chatter about whether foreign countries should intervene militarily to try to end more than a year of bloodshed in Syria. The violence continued Tuesday, when at least 37 people were killed across the country, opposition activists said. Among the dead, nine people were killed at a prison in Aleppo as guards tried to suppress a days-old protest there, the opposition Local Coordination Committees of Syria said. CNN cannot independently confirm reports of violence because the government restricts access by foreign journalists. The Syrian government has long maintained that "armed terrorist groups" are fueling violence in the country. Responding to a question Monday about clashes in Damascus, Makdissi said, "We are in a state of self-defense." But he later added, "This is an exceptional matter. It will last a couple of days, and matters will return to normal." The Syrian crisis started in March 2011, when a fierce government crackdown against protesters morphed into a nationwide uprising against the regime.On Sunday, U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said almost 17,000 people have been killed over the past 17 months. In addition to the deaths, thousands of refugees have fled Syria into neighboring countries to escape the turmoil. The three border crossings between Iraq and Syria were opened Monday to Syrian refugees, an Iraqi government spokesman said