Kerry says "strong evidence" shows Syrian gov't used chemical weapons

WASHINGTON, May 10 (Xinhua) -- U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said Friday there was "strong evidence" indicating that the Syrians government forces used chemical weapons during the prolonged conflict in Syria.

Kerry made the remarks at an event held by Google.

The Obama administration had said evidence has pointed to the use of chemical weapons inside of Syria. U.S. President Barack Obama has called time and again the use of or failure to secure chemical weapons by the Syrian government a "red line" or "game changer" in his handling of the conflict in the Middle East country.

But Obama has also asked for more facts to back up the intelligence assessment before taking further steps, while senior officials said in the past days the administration was considering providing weapons to the Syrian rebels, as demanded by some lawmakers.

The Syrian government and the armed rebels have been trading accusations over the use of chemical weapons in the country's deadly conflict.

Last December, the Syrian government warned that the rebels could use chemical weapons in their fight against President Bashar al-Assad's forces, while insisting that the government would never unleash such arms on its own people.

Besides talking about the use of chemical weapons, Kerry again called for political transition in Syria in order to stop the ongoing bloodshed.

"If you're willing to compromise in the choosing of the people who will run that -- that transitional government, and you choose in good faith people who are prepared to put in front of the people of Syria a fair choice about who their leader ought to be, then I believe you could avoid war, and you could have a settlement," he said.

Kerry also noted explicitly that the potential transitional government will not include Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

"Because the terms of the agreement of the first Geneva conference are that the transitional government has to be chosen by mutual consent, and obviously, the opposition will never consent to Assad," he said.

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