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Russia vetoes extension of mission probing chemical weapons use in Syria

By Rodrigo Campos

 

FILE PHOTO: A United Nations (U.N.) chemical weapons expert, wearing a gas mask, holds a plastic bag containing samples from one of the sites of an alleged chemical weapons attack in the Ain Tarma neighbourhood of Damascus, Syria August 29, 2013. REUTERS/Mohamed Abdullah/File Photo

 

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - Russia cast a veto at the United Nations Security Council on Tuesday preventing the renewal of the mandate for a mission that investigates the use of chemical weapons in Syria.

 

The investigation by the United Nations and the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) - known as the Joint Investigative Mechanism (JIM) - was unanimously created by the 15-member U.N.

Security Council in 2015 and renewed in 2016 for another year. Its mandate is due to expire in mid-November.

The JIM is due to report by Oct. 26 on who was responsible for an attack on April 4 on the town of Khan Sheikhoun, held by the opposition to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, that killed dozens of people.

 

Russia wanted to discuss the report before voting on the extension of the mandate, and its U.N. Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia unsuccessfully asked to postpone the vote.

 

"Don't try to create the impression that the JIM will be a dead letter unless we adopt this resolution today," Nebenzia said prior to the vote.

 

"We are ready to return to extending the JIM after the publication of the report and after we discuss it after the 26 of October."

 

A separate OPCW fact-finding mission determined in June that the banned nerve agent sarin had been used in the Khan Sheikhoun attack, which prompted the United States to launch missiles on a Syrian air base.

 

"Russia has once again demonstrated it will do whatever it takes to ensure the barbaric Assad regime never faces consequences for its continued use of chemicals as weapons," U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley, travelling in Africa, said in a statement.

 

After the vote, Nebenzia said the elimination of chemical weapons in Syria had nearly finished.

 

In its most recent report late last month, the OPCW said it had verified the destruction of 25 of the 27 chemical weapons production facilities declared by Syria and continued to prepare an inspection to confirm the current condition of the last two.

 

China abstained from Tuesday's vote, while Bolivia joined Russia in voting no. Eleven countries voted in favour of the text.

 

(Reporting by Rodrigo Campos; editing by Chizu Nomiyama and James Dalgleish)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2017-10-25

[retarius]

Seems a perfectly reasonable action to wish to see the report so far before agreeing to an extension.

[craigt3365]

Who would have guessed Russia would veto yet another resolution to help out Syrians.  What is this?  Veto number 5 or 6?

[champers]

Did a foreign country supply Syria with chemical weapons? I wonder who .....?

[craigt3365]

13 minutes ago, champers said:

Did a foreign country supply Syria with chemical weapons? I wonder who .....?

North Korea supplied some recently. 

 

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-22307705

Quote

 

. A recent report from the US Congressional Research Service said Syria probably began stockpiling chemical weapons in 1972 or 1973, when it was given a small number of chemicals and delivery systems by Egypt before the 1973 Arab-Israeli war.

 

Damascus started acquiring the materials and knowledge necessary to produce chemical weapons in the 1980s, reportedly with the help of the Soviet Union. Equipment and chemicals are also thought to have been procured from European companies.

 

 

[GOLDBUGGY]

I feel so sorry for the Syrians. All they wanted was to dispose a long time Dictator and have free elections and now they have a full fledge civil war going on for many years now.

 

I know one guy who lost his house completely when it was bombed but only glad his family wasn't in this house when it happened. I know another 2 guys who can't go back to Syria as they refused to be drafted and enter a war having to kill there friends or family.

 

They also receive no support from the outside world either. Even the ones who want to flee are not allowed into many countries with a Syrian Passport. Some have had to pay huge bribes to enter countries like Lebanon and Turkey, and still don't have permanent residence there.

 

So between a rock and a hard spot for most of them. Crushed between 2 Super Powers and a Dictator who cares very little about them. All boiling down to who gets the Pipeline Contract through Syria to the Med Sea. Russia or the Gulf States?

[craigt3365]

2 hours ago, GOLDBUGGY said:

All boiling down to who gets the Pipeline Contract through Syria to the Med Sea. Russia or the Gulf States?

Many on this forum don't seem to understand this....good post.