25.01.2018, New York.
The new investigative mechanism suggested by Russia has been rejected, the United States Permanent Representative to the United Nations Nikki Haley stated on January 23 during the emergency meeting of the UN Security Council, called after reports of a chemical attack in Syria, TASS news agency reports.
“We are not going to accept any Russian proposal that undermines our ability to get to the truth or that politicizes what must be an independent and impartial investigation,” said Nikki Haley. She informed that the USA fully upholds the initiative suggested by France on the same day in Paris – an International Partnership Against Impunity for Chemical Weapons, accusing the Russian side in “running away from the facts” and ignoring “Assad regime’s atrocities”, as Russia did not succumb to the attempt of the Joint Investigative Committee (JIM) in Syria in accusing the government forces of Syria in the use of chemical weapons along with ISIL (organisation banned in Russia). She also laid the responsibility for the collapse of the JIM initiative on Russia.
Russia, in turn, came forward with a statement, claiming that JIM has discredited itself scientifically and technically and became a “tool for political manipulation”. The Russian UN Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia stated his readiness to discuss the creation of a new mechanism to replace JIM which had exhausted its authority and capabilities. Nebenzia called Haley’s accusations of Moscow of attempting to hide the truth unfounded. He added that reports of new episodes of chemical agents use must be investigated, while the United States and the United Kingdom readily bring accusations without prior investigation, just based on received reports.
Chlorine gas was used during bombardment according to rescuers reports in eastern Ghouta, not far from the Syrian capital Damascus. Responsibility for the use of chemical weapons was put on Damascus. US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson stated in Paris that “whoever conducted the attacks, Russia ultimately bears responsibility for the victims in eastern Ghouta and countless other Syrian targeted with chemical weapons since Russia became involved in Syria”, as Moscow is helping Damascus to regain control over its territory in its fight with terrorist formations.
Source: Rossa Primavera News Agency
