WASHINGTON, Aug 23 (Reuters) - U.S. and allied
intelligence agencies have made a preliminary assessment that chemical weapons
were used by Syrian forces in an attack near Damascus this week, likely with
high-level approval from the government of President Bashar al-Assad, according
to American and European security sources.
The
early intelligence finding could increase pressure for action by President
Barack Obama, who made clear that he planned to tread cautiously even as his
aides sought to narrow their differences in debate over possible military
responses to the Syrian government.
The
sources, speaking on condition of anonymity, cautioned that the assessment was
preliminary and, at this stage, they were still seeking conclusive proof, which
could take days, weeks or even longer to gather.
But
with a mounting international outcry over the apparent mass poisoning of
hundreds of people, the issue appeared to have taken on a sense of urgency for
the Obama administration.
In
his first public comments since Wednesday's attack in the Damascus suburbs,
Obama called the incident a "big event of grave concern" and one that
demanded U.S. attention, but said he was in no rush to get war-weary Americans
"mired" in another Middle East conflict.
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