Russia has blocked the adoption by the Security Council (SC) UN resolutions inconsistent on the one-year extension of authority for Joint UN and the Organisation for the prohibition of chemical weapons (OPCW) relating to the investigation of chemical attacks in Syria (CMP). About it reports TASS.
Before the vote Russia proposed to postpone the consideration of the extension of the mandate of the CMP at a later date — until 7 November to wait for the publication of the report with the results of the investigation of the incident in the Syrian Khan Sheyhun. However, this initiative was rejected.
Russia’s permanent representative to the UN, Vasily Nebenzia said that uncoordinated draft resolution was put to vote to “defame Russia”, forcing it to use its veto. “Let’s not pretend we don’t understand what’s going on here”, — the diplomat said, accusing the US of undermining the unity of the Security Council.
The term SMR is set to expire in November, and a final report is expected to be unveiled on October 26. In one of my previous reports, the investigators blamed for three cases of the use of chemical agents in Syria on government forces, and another one on the militants of the terrorist group “Islamic state” (banned in Russia).
October 20, the U.S. State Department for the first time acknowledged the use of chemical weapons in Syria, various terrorist groups. “”Islamic state” (IG, is prohibited in Russia), “Hayat Tahrir al-sham” and other extremist groups use suicide bombers, (…) light and heavy weapons, improvised explosive devices and chemical weapons,” — said in a statement, the American foreign Ministry.
A week earlier, the Director of the Department for nonproliferation and arms control of the Ministry of foreign Affairs of Russia Mikhail Ulyanov said that Moscow is inclined to the version staged nature of the incident with chemical munitions in the Syrian Khan Sheyhun.
Gas attack in Khan Sheyhun controlled by the Syrian opposition, took place on 4 April. Killed 87 people, injured about 200. Opponents of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and the West have blamed the attack force of government troops. In Damascus said that the army did not use chemical weapons.