Washington: U.S. will not accept Russia’s proposal for a new mechanism for investigating the chemical attack in Syria
Washington will not accept Moscow’s proposal to create a new mechanism for investigating chemical attacks. The U.S. Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley said this on Tuesday at an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council which was convened to discuss the situation in Syria.
“The U.S. will not accept any proposal from Russia if it will counteract the progress of the international community to find the truth,” said Haley. According to her, the U.S. “will resume the joint investigation of chemical attacks right now, if Russia is ready to cooperate.”
The Permanent Representative said that “Russia used the right of veto three times in the Security Council, and this has broken the established mechanism.” According to Haley, these actions of the Russian Federation “undermine the mechanism created.”
Earlier, the Associated Press, citing as a source activists of the White Helmets organization, reported that “the Syrian government carried out an attack on Monday, allegedly with poison gas, which affected approximately 20 civilians” in the Duma neighborhood in the vicinity of Damascus. The Syrian government, according to the news agency, denies the use of chemical weapons. But the television channel Al Mayadeen reported that at least two children were killed and 30 people were injured as a result of poisoning with ammonium chloride in one of the suburbs of the Syrian capital. According to their information, a powder with toxic properties was distributed under the guise of edible salt in the East Ghouta area near Damascus.
At Russia’s urging, the UN Security Council met Tuesday at an open meeting to discuss the situation in Syria, including new allegations about the use of chemical weapons.