A meeting of the 28-member alliance's foreign ministers in Brussels follows a request from Turkey to boost its defences along the border.

 

Nato officials have made clear such a move would be purely⁶ defensive⁷. 

 

Earlier, US President Barack Obama warned Syrian President Bashar al-Assad he would face "consequences" if he uses chemical weapons against his people.

 

"The world is watching. The use of chemical weapons is and would be totally unacceptable," said Mr Obama in a speech at the National Defense⁸ University in Washington.

 

"If you make the tragic⁹ mistake of using these weapons there will be consequences and you will be held accountable（有责任的）." 

 

A Syrian official has insisted it would "never, under any circumstances" use such weapons, "if such weapons exist".

 

 

A Nato team has already visited a number of sites in Turkey in preparation for the deployment of Patriot batteries, which could be used to shoot down any Syrian missiles or warplanes that stray over the border, says BBC defence correspondent Jonathan Beale.

 

The missile deployment is likely to be approved, adds our correspondent, despite opposition¹⁰ from Russia, whose foreign minister is also attending Tuesday's meeting in Brussels. 

 

But analysts¹¹ say any deployment - possibly supplied by the US, Germany or the Netherlands - could take weeks.

 

Syrian opposition fighters have reportedly made dramatic gains recently, and several government mortar⁴ shells - aimed at rebel targets close to the border - have landed across its 900-km (560-mile) border with Turkey.

 

Ankara's request for Nato to deploy¹ the anti-missile batteries came after intelligence assessments¹² that Damascus was contemplating¹³ using ballistic missiles, potentially armed with chemical warheads, reports say.

 

Syria is believed to hold chemical weapons - including mustard gas and sarin, a highly toxic¹⁴ nerve agent - at dozens of sites around the country.

 

The CIA has said those weapons "can be delivered by aircraft, ballistic missile, and artillery¹⁵ rockets".

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