May to seek EU condemnation of Russia over nerve agent attack

[webfact]

May to seek EU condemnation of Russia over nerve agent attack

By Robin Emmott and Elizabeth Piper

 

Britain's Prime Minister, Theresa May, speaks at the Conservative Party’s Spring Forum in central London, Britain March 17, 2018. REUTERS/Simon Dawson/Pool

 

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May will seek on Thursday to persuade EU leaders to condemn Russia over what London says was a nerve agent attack in England directed by Moscow but she must overcome resistance within the bloc from Russia's allies.

 

At a summit in Brussels, May is set to push for a statement from fellow EU leaders blaming Moscow for the poisoning of a Russian double agent and his daughter on March 4, which would go further than the bloc's initial response this week.

 

"Russia has shown itself as a strategic enemy, not a strategic partner," a senior British official told Reuters, who stressed however that Britain was not seeking new economic sanctions on Russia.

 

May has accused Russia of the first known offensive use of a nerve toxin in Europe since World War Two and expelled 23 Russians whom she said were spies working under diplomatic cover.

 

Russia has repeatedly denied any involvement in the attack on Sergei Skripal and his daughter and, in a reciprocal gesture, expelled 23 British diplomats as well as closing the British Council in Russia.

 

At the summit, May will seek to show European Union governments that all Western countries are vulnerable from such attacks, as well as what NATO says is a Russian strategy to undermine the West, officials said.

 

"The Russia threat does not respect borders and as such we are all at risk," a second senior British official said.

 

But May will need to overcome reluctance from Russia's closest allies in the European Union, Greece and Hungary, who on Monday held back EU foreign ministers from laying the blame fully at Russia's door in a special joint statement.

 

The EU's 28 members can only release a statement if there is unanimity.

 

Britain's allies in Europe hope that Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras will be more open than his foreign minister Nikos Kotzias, who diplomats said refused stronger language on Monday linking Moscow to the toxin attack.

 

According to a draft of the EU summit statement seen by Reuters, leaders will take "extremely seriously the United Kingdom government's assessment that it is highly likely that the Russian Federation is responsible."

 

One EU diplomat said that at the summit, there was "a general ambition to go beyond that wording," which was very similar in tone to the EU foreign ministers' statement.

 

On Wednesday, European Council President Donald Tusk, who will chair the summit, sided with Britain, saying: "It is clear we should improve our preparedness for future attacks."

 

One senior EU diplomat said that for some governments, the lack of direct proof of Russian involvement was a problem.

 

Senior British officials have told Reuters they concluded Russia was responsible because the nerve agent was a Soviet-era toxin and because the attack follows a pattern of Russian behaviour, including so-called "hybrid" attacks on the West including covert action and disinformation campaigns.

 

(Additional reporting by Richard Lough, Jean-Baptiste Vey, Gabriela Baczynska; Editing by Matthew Mpoke Bigg)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2018-03-22

[Topdoc]

Looks like the witch in snow white & the 7 dwarfs. Just needs a red apple in that hand

Edited March 21, 2018 by Topdoc

[bartender100]

EU will not back the UK, Juncker is all over Putin, the UK is is the enemy to EU not Russia

 

 

https://news.sky.com/story/eu-boss-jean-claude-juncker-criticised-for-congratulatory-letter-to-vladimir-putin-11298042

 

[Lungstib]

Only a politician could call for help from the group she is presently trying to leave. 

[evadgib]

1 hour ago, bartender100 said:

EU will not back the UK, Juncker is all over Putin, the UK is is the enemy to EU not Russia

 

 

https://news.sky.com/story/eu-boss-jean-claude-juncker-criticised-for-congratulatory-letter-to-vladimir-putin-11298042

 

 

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/statement-from-sir-mark-sedwill-on-the-salisbury-attack

 

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-43487948

Edited March 22, 2018 by evadgib

[FritsSikkink]

Show some proof first

[StraightTalk]

No matter how prominent the headlines in the British tabloid maybe, May, Clown & company can not provide any evidence linking Putin to this particular incident because at this moment of time there simply isn't any!

They're now desperately exploring angles to save their faces to keep the British masses on their side.
Asking EU for their backings is ironic to say it politely and inoffensively.

[Morch]

5 hours ago, bartender100 said:

EU will not back the UK, Juncker is all over Putin, the UK is is the enemy to EU not Russia

 

 

https://news.sky.com/story/eu-boss-jean-claude-juncker-criticised-for-congratulatory-letter-to-vladimir-putin-11298042

 

 

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reactions_to_the_poisoning_of_Sergei_and_Yulia_Skripal#European_Union_(EU)

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reactions_to_the_poisoning_of_Sergei_and_Yulia_Skripal#EU_member_states

 

[Rimmer]

A video has been removed, this is an English forum not Russian

[RuamRudy]

3 hours ago, StraightTalk said:

No matter how prominent the headlines in the British tabloid maybe, May, Clown & company can not provide any evidence linking Putin to this particular incident because at this moment of time there simply isn't any!

They're now desperately exploring angles to save their faces to keep the British masses on their side.
Asking EU for their backings is ironic to say it politely and inoffensively.

 

Two to three weeks to analyze sampes from Salisbury attack: OPCW

"The Head of the OPCW chemical watchdog said Tuesday that it will take two to three weeks to complete laboratory analysis of samples taken from the poisoning of a former Russian spy in Britain.

...

Asked whether the analysis would be able to determine whether the agent was Novichok, Uzumcu [the Head of OPCW] said he did not want to prejudge the outcome of the scientific work."

 

He should use Theresa's 2-day express service.

[Khun Han]

The EU would be better off just reading the letter published in The Times on 14th March:

 

“Sir, Further to your report (“Poison Exposure Leaves Almost 40 Needing Treatment”, Mar 14), may I clarify that no patients have experienced symptoms of nerve-agent poisoning in Salisbury and there have only ever been three patients with significant poisoning. Several people have attended the emergency department concerned that they may have been exposed. None had symptoms of poisoning and none has needed treatment. Any blood tests performed have shown no abnormality. No member of the public has been contaminated by the agent involved.

STEPHEN DAVIES, Consultant in Emergency Medicine, Salisbury NHS Foundation Trust”

[Baerboxer]

9 hours ago, bartender100 said:

EU will not back the UK, Juncker is all over Putin, the UK is is the enemy to EU not Russia

 

 

https://news.sky.com/story/eu-boss-jean-claude-juncker-criticised-for-congratulatory-letter-to-vladimir-putin-11298042

 

 

That's why certain EU leaders already have backed the UK, as have NATO,

[Baerboxer]

7 hours ago, StraightTalk said:

No matter how prominent the headlines in the British tabloid maybe, May, Clown & company can not provide any evidence linking Putin to this particular incident because at this moment of time there simply isn't any!

They're now desperately exploring angles to save their faces to keep the British masses on their side.
Asking EU for their backings is ironic to say it politely and inoffensively.

 

In the same way that there hasn't been any evidence, real evidence, to prove that the Russian's affected the US POTUS elections.

 

Russia has become the bogey man that the USSR was. 

 

Nobody wants to thinks of someone else, or false flag or "friendly' fire ...............

[evadgib]

7 hours ago, StraightTalk said:

No matter how prominent the headlines in the British tabloid maybe, May, Clown & company can not provide any evidence linking Putin to this particular incident because at this moment of time there simply isn't any!

They're now desperately exploring angles to save their faces to keep the British masses on their side.
Asking EU for their backings is ironic to say it politely and inoffensively.

UK is a fully paid up member state and have as much right as the other 27 to demand their support regardless.

[sirineou]

9 hours ago, bartender100 said:

EU will not back the UK, Juncker is all over Putin, the UK is is the enemy to EU not Russia

 

 

https://news.sky.com/story/eu-boss-jean-claude-juncker-criticised-for-congratulatory-letter-to-vladimir-putin-11298042

 

The UK is still a member the EU and an attack on an EU member is an attack on the EU , as such it was wrong for Junker to congratulate the person accused of orchestrating such attack for being reelected .

Having said that , it is also wrong to say that " the UK is is the enemy to EU not Russia "

as others have pointed out Junker is not the EU, and others in the EU have condemned Russia over the incident , also

Rusia is and has being a danger to both the EU and the UK, hanse the Creation of NATO of which regardless of Brexit the UK would remain a member.

   Trump also congratulated Putin on his election, does that make the US an enemy of the UK? 

[Tchooptip]

12 hours ago, bartender100 said:

EU will not back the UK, Juncker is all over Putin, the UK is is the enemy to EU not Russia

 

 

https://news.sky.com/story/eu-boss-jean-claude-juncker-criticised-for-congratulatory-letter-to-vladimir-putin-11298042

 

What about Donald Trump? He congratulated Poutine for his election too. So will you tell us the UK is the enemy to USA, not Russia?

By the way, the French president congratulated Poutine as well. Angela Merkel logically too.  Chinese President Xi Jinping himself.

I never thought that the country where I was born had so many enemies 

[Grouse]

Boris must be fired

 

The USSR lost 27 million in the last war

 

To equate Putin with Hitler is embarrassingly crass.

[metisdead]

A post containing a link to a site that specializes in conspiracy theories has been removed.