It is 'highly plausible' that the Syrian government bears responsibility for the suspected chemical attack earlier this month on the rebel enclave of Douma, Italy's foreign minister Angelino Alfano said on Monday.
"We think it is highly plausible that the regime is involved in the recent chemical attack, on the basis of past events," Alfano said at a summit in Brussels of European Union foreign ministers.
"We trust that experts from OPCW , who are already on the ground in Syria, will be able to help," Alfano added.
Alfano was referring to the global chemical weapons watchdog the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons.
The suspected attack, denied by Syrian president Bashar al-Assad's government, reportedly killed dozens of people in Douma, in the Eastern Ghouta region outside Damascus.
Two bombs filled with chemicals were reportedly dropped several hours apart on Douma. The OPCW is due to carry out a fact-finding mission.