US Secretary of Defence Chuck Hagel has spoken to his French and British counterparts about the international response to chemical weapons use in Syria, dpa reported. Hagel stressed the US military was "prepared for any contingency involving Syria" and pledged close cooperation with US allies, Pentagon spokesman George Little said. Hagel told Britain's Phillip Hammond and France's Jean-Yves Le Drian, "that the United States is committed to working with the international community to respond to the outrageous chemical attacks that have claimed the lives of innocent civilians in Syria."
