France - allegations of chemical weapon use in Syria must be examined

PARIS (Reuters) - New allegations the Syrian government is using chemical weapons must be looked into, the French foreign ministry said on Wednesday.

The U.S. State Department on Tuesday said it saw signs that the Syrian government may be using chemical weapons, including an alleged chlorine attack on Sunday in northwest Syria.

"We have noted with a degree of alarm these allegations, which need to be looked into," the foreign ministry said in an online press briefing.

"We have full confidence in the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons," it added.

(Reporting by Sudip Kar-Gupta; Editing by Richard Lough)