Syrian Arab News Agency S A N A
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Moscow, SANA – Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that Moscow will propose a draft resolution for the UN Security Council on sending experts to Douma to investigate allegations of using chemicals.
In a press conference following a meeting with the Foreign Minister of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) Ri Yong-ho in Moscow on Tuesday, Lavrov said “we have heard statements from the Hague that they have launched an investigation into the Douma incident.
“However, the use of chemical weapons has not been confirmed yet. Members of the Syrian Arab Red Crescent (SARC) and Russian representatives to the relevant agencies visited the site of the alleged attack in Douma but did not find any traces of chemical weapons.
“We cannot take the results of remote investigations for granted anymore. This is what happened in Khan Shaikhoun, when a remote investigation resulted in a flimsy report containing expressions such as ‘highly possible’ and ‘highly likely.’ We know the true price of such expressions and will never again take them for granted.”
Lavrov pointed out that according to the charter of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), it should conduct an investigation at the same place and take samples for laboratory study in a transparent manner, adding that the Russian draft resolution will require precisely this sort of inquiry.
The top diplomat added that the Syrian government has agreed to send experts to investigate the alleged incident in the city of Douma, which was freed from terrorists, noting that the Western states are not interested in establishing the truth either in this case, or in Khan Shaikhoun, or in the Skripal affair.
Manar al-Freih / Hazem Sabbagh
