Syria's Assad says US has no proof of chemical weapons use

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has told a US broadcaster there is "no evidence" that his government has used chemical weapons.

In the interview with PBS, to be aired on Monday, he also suggested his allies would retaliate if the West attacked.
US Secretary of State John Kerry has been lobbying hard for military action against Mr Assad during talks with EU and Arab foreign ministers in Europe.
Congress is due to debate whether to authorise intervention in Syria.
Lawmakers will return from their summer recess on Monday to start discussing President Barack Obama's resolution to launch a "limited, narrow" strike.

A Senate vote on the issue is expected as early as Wednesday, although the timetable for Mr Obama's request is less certain in the House, where the measure faces an even rockier time.

The US accuses Mr Assad's forces of killing 1,429 people in a sarin gas attack on 21 August on the outskirts of the capital, Damascus.
Mr Assad's government blames the attack on rebels fighting to overthrow him in the country's two-and-a-half-year civil war, which has claimed some 100,000 lives, according to UN estimates.
'Common-sense test' In his interview with PBS, the Syrian president said it was up to the US to prove that his forces were behind the Damascus attack.
"There has been no evidence that I used chemical weapons against my own people," he told the network.
Mr Assad would neither confirm nor deny that his government kept chemical weapons, but said that if they existed, they were "in centralised

Estonian :  Süüria president Bashar al-Assad on öelnud USA ringhäälinguorganisatsioon "ei ole olemas tõendeid", et tema valitsus on kasutanud keemiarelvi.

Aasta intervjuus PBS, mis eetris esmaspäeval, ta soovitas ka tema liitlased samaga kui West ründas.

USA riigisekretär John Kerry on lobitöö kõvasti vastu suunatud sõjalise tegevuse Mr Assad ajal kõnelusi ELi ja Araabia riikide välisministritega toimunud Euroopas.

Kongress on tingitud ka arutelu, kas lubada sekkumist Süürias.

Seaduste naaseb oma suvepuhkust esmaspäeval alustada arutame president Barack Obama ettepanek käivitada "piiratud kitsas" lüüa.

 Senati hääletus küsimuses oodatakse juba kolmapäev, kuigi ajakava hr Obama taotlus on vähem kindel maja, kus meede nägu isegi rockier aega.

USA süüdistab hr Assadi väed tapmises 1429 inimest Sarin gaasi rünnak 21. augustil agul pealinnas Damaskuses.

Mr Assadi valitsus süüdistab rünnakut mässuliste võitlevad kukutada teda riigi kaks ja pool aastat kodusõda, mis on väitnud mõned 100.000 elu, vastavalt ÜRO hinnangul.
"Mõistus test"

Oma intervjuus PBS Süüria president ütles, et kuni USA tõestada, et tema väed olid taga Damaskus rünnak.

"Ei ole tõendeid, et ma kasutasin keemiarelvade vastu minu enda inimesed," ütles ta võrku.

Mr Assad oleks kinnitada ega eitada, et tema valitsus hoida keemiarelvad, kuid ütles, et kui nad on olemas, et nad olid "tsentraliseeritud