No independent confirmation on Syria chemical arms use - watchdog

VIENNA (Reuters) - An international anti-chemical weapons body said it had no independent information about any use of such arms in Syria - as claimed by both sides in the conflict on Tuesday - but it was "closely monitoring" the situation.

Ahmet Uzumcu, director general of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), said it would look at media reports about what had happened and "try to identify the symptoms which may be detected" in order to make an assessment.