Russia expects the leadership of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) to explain the mention of the Russian Su-25 aircraft in the report on the incident in Saraqib. Russia's First Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN, Dmitry Polyanskiy, said on Thursday when he addressed the world organization's Security Council.
"There is another element in the new document of the Investigation and Identification Group (IIG) that goes beyond any conceivable limits," he said. - "One of the paragraphs says that one of the most probable motives for the chlorine airstrike was "revenge for the Russian Su-25 aircraft shot down earlier by the militants." This conclusion was drawn by the IIG with reference to an anonymous "military expert". We are waiting for comprehensive explanations from the leadership of the OPCW as to why the Technical Secretariat, which, according to its leadership, is engaged in strictly technical analysis, so blatantly goes beyond its mandate and engages in outright fabrications."
Polyanskiy also pointed to other inconsistencies in the OPCW experts' report on the incident of the possible use of chemical weapons in Saraqib. He noted that the amount of chlorine referred to in the document could not have caused such damage as the experts say. The Russian diplomat also drew attention to the fact that the cylinder that allegedly contained the poisonous substance turned out to be half rusty, although according to the available version it was found at the site of the incident 12 hours after the alleged attack.
According to Polyanskiy, it is clear that the report on Saraqib was a propaganda product designed to turn the international community against Syria in the run-up to the OPCW member states' vote on Damascus' nuclear dossier.
Saraqib and the OPCW vote
On April 11, the OPCW's Investigation and Identification Group submitted a report concluding that the Syrian Air Force dropped a chlorine bomb on the militant-held city of Saraqib in Idlib province in February 2018. This is the second report by the GRI. The first was published on April 8, 2020, claiming that the Syrian Air Force was responsible for three incidents in the locality of Al-Lataminah in Homs province in March 2017.
On April 21, OPCW members approved a resolution restricting Syria's rights and privileges for Damascus' alleged failure to comply with its commitments on the destruction and non-use of chemical weapons. A total of 136 states participated in the vote, 87 of which supported the resolution. Russia and 14 other countries spoke out against the document, which denies the Arab republic the right to participate in votes at the Conference of States Parties to the OPCW and in the Executive Council of the organization, to be elected to it, as well as to hold any events on its territory through the conference, council and auxiliary structures.
GSV "Russia - Islamic World"
Photo: Zuma \ TASS
Based on materials from TASS