Alwaght- Russia’s UN envoy cast doubt at the effectiveness of the US-led counter-terror operation in Iraq, as terrorist activity has intensified there.
Speaking at Friday’s UN Security Council meeting on Iraq, Russia’s Ambassador to the UN, Vitaly Churkin, commended the Iraqi government’s efforts in combatting ISIS, and while questioning the role of the international coalition under the leadership of US forces, which he said has not achieved any feasible progress on the ground so far.
The diplomat emphasized that all interested parties must adhere to the principles of international law in tackling the challenges posed by the global terror threat, while warning against the adoption of “double standards.”
“There should be no room for double standards. All responsible members of the international community must follow a consistent and principled line in countering this absolute evil,” he said.
The US and some of its allies have allegedly been conducting airstrikes against ISIS terrorists in Iraq since August 2014.
The US-led coalition also started air raids against purported ISIS positions in Syria without any authorization from Damascus or a UN mandate in September 2014. Many have criticized the ineffectiveness of the two campaigns.
Churkin also drew attention to the worrisome spread of chemical agents to territories controlled by Islamists, which were allegedly manufactured in Turkey or shipped to it without the right to re-export.
“Poisonous warfare substances are rapidly spreading across the region and are used by terrorists, but some member-states are consistent in turning a blind eye on that,” he stressed, noting that research into the components of the explosive mixtures recovered from terrorists near the Iraqi city of Tikrit, as well as further investigation into their producers and import conditions, indicate that they came from Turkey.
He urged the United Nations to launch a thorough investigation into the incidents, lamenting that there was no indication in its report on Iraq that the UN was doing any investigative work to determine the source of the chemical weapons.
Chutkin reiterated Russia’s proposal to develop an international convention aimed at preventing terrorist chemical attacks that would close loopholes in the Chemical Weapons Convention related to the use of chemical warfare by non-state actors, such as terrorist groups.