Syria
Here is AJE's English translation of the French intelligence statement (part 2), the original in French can be found here.
"The chain of command and the responsibilities"
The Syrian Centre for Scientific Research Study (CERS) is responsible for producing toxic agents for use in war, pinpointing "Branch 450" as being responsible for filling munitions with chemicals and also the security of sites where the chemical agents are stocked. This branch, it claims, is "composed only of Alawite military personnel … distinguished by a high level of loyalty to the regime".
"Bashar al-Assad and certain influential members of his clan are the only ones permitted to give the order for the use of chemical weapons. The order is then transmitted to those responsible at the competent branches of the CERS. At the same time, the army chiefs of staff receive the order and decide on targets, the weapons and the toxic agents to put in them."
Chemical attacks already carried out by the Syrian regime
Cases of use of chemical agents by the Syrian regime in attacks against areas held by the opposition for the aim of taking territory or causing terror, have been observed in recent months.
The competent French authorities have recovered biomedical samples (blood, urine), environmental (soil) and materials (ammunition), taken from victims or on the sites of attacks Saraqeb, April 29, 2013, and Jobar to mid-April 2013
