Alwaght- Russia says it finds as “unconvincing” the latest report by the UN-led investigation which blamed the Syrian forces of carrying out a chlorine gas attack 19 months ago.
The findings, Russia’s UN ambassador believes, lack solid proof and substantiated evidence.
Members of the Security Council debated the latest, fourth report by the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) and the UN’s joint Investigative Mechanism (JIM) which purportedly confirmed the use of chemical weapons by the Syrian government.
The report provided assessments on the three pending cases, namely Kafr Zita (April 18, 2014), Qmenas (March, 16 2015) and Finnish (March 24, 2015). Unable to determine who was responsible for two other chemical weapons attacks, the fourth report accused the government forces of carrying out the chlorine gas attack in Qmenas, in Idlib province. Taking the floor at the UN Security Council, Russian ambassador Vitaly Churkin highlighted the shortcomings of the report, which was submitted to the body earlier.
“We can say already now that in most cases [the report’s conclusions] are not substantiated by sufficient testimonial basis – first of all, material proof – they are full of contradictions and therefore, unconvincing,” Churkin said in new York. “As we understand the conclusions of the JIM are not definitive, have no legally binding force and cannot serve as accusatory conclusions for taking legal decisions.”
Ahead of Thursday’s debate at the UNSC, the Syrian Foreign Ministry denied the government forces’ use of chemical weapons.
“The Syrian Arab Republic has repeatedly denied all allegations circulated by some Western departments and their tools about the use of chemical poisonous materials by Syrian sides, like chlorine gas, during military acts which take place between the Syrian Arab armed forces and the terrorist groups,” the ministry said in a statement.
Damascus also reaffirmed its commitment to carry out all its obligations under the Chemical Weapons Convention and offered full transparency.
Objectives of Blaming Syria on Chemical Weapons use
The Syrian government is currently at a strong position and would therefore never engage in the desperate use of chemical weapons. In any case, early this year, The UN Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons confirmed the destruction of all chemical weapons declared by Syrian government. The other question is, are the terrorists such powerful that it would only be defeated by a chemical weapons attack?
Evidence indicates that Western countries and their Arab allies opposed to President Bashar al Assad are involved in falsely blaming the Syrian government of using chemical weapons. This scenario is part of a wider plan to push the international community into an all-out war against Syria. These baseless allegations are also meant to publicly pressurize Syria government allies and also show Assad as resorting to chemical weapons due to the pressure he is facing.
These unfounded accusations are also being thrown around by Assad opponents to change the regional equations in their favor while the reality on the battlefront shows the Syrian government is winning and gaining ground in many areas around the country. Western countries are also spreading these false accusations to justify their support to terrorist groups in Syria.
