United Nations: Angry Arabs stung by US accusations that Syria has chemical weapons have decided to seek a UN declaration on the Middle East as a zone free from weapons of mass destruction.

The decision came at a meeting of the 22-member Arab group on April 15 after which Syria, the only Arab member of the Security Council, said it would introduce a draft resolution later on April 16.

While it was not known, whether the country would press for a vote, diplomats said the move was aimed more at embarrassing the US, whose closest ally Israel is believed to have nuclear weapons.

The only country, which has weapons of mass destruction is Israel, charged Syrian Ambassador Fayssal Mekdad after the meeting stoutly denying charges that his country possessed chemical weapons, which it has been accused of by the US and Britain after the war in Iraq appeared drawing to an end.

Syria is party to the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) but not the conventions prohibiting chemical and biological weapons. Israel is not party to any such treaty and has neither confirmed nor denied that it has nuclear weapons.

Top American officials have accused Syria of conducting chemical weapons tests and giving shelter to top functionaries of Saddam Hussein regime, something which Syria denies.

Arab League's Ambassador Yahya Mahmassani rejected the American charges against Syria and said Damascus has done not anything wrong.

PTI