In an interview with the newspaper Bild, Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle spoke about the alleged use of chemical weapons by the Assad regime in Syria. He urged the regime to clear up these allegations and warned against a spreading of the conflict.

Do you think this intelligence sound?

We ourselves have no information on this issue. Anyone who might help clarify the situation should present facts - speculation won’t do any good. The Assad regime is called upon to stop blocking the work of the United Nations Commission of Inquiry, and I expect Moscow, too, to use plain and unambiguous language on this point with Damascus.

Has a “red line” been crossed by chemical weapons being used just once?

The use of chemical weapons by whichever side would be a grave matter. Everything must be done to clear up these serious allegations.

Would the use of chemical weapons alter Germany’s stance on a military intervention?

The situation in Syria is too serious for speculation. We jointly aim for a political solution, a democratic fresh start and an end to Assad’s violence against his own people. The conflict must not spread to the rest of the region.

Published in the Bild newspaper, 29 April 2013. Reproduced by kind permission of the Axel Springer Verlag.