The report of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) on the events in Syria in 2017 was compiled in gross violation of the basic principle of work - the sequence of actions when collecting and preserving physical evidence, Interfax reports with reference to the Russian permanent mission to the OPCW.
"Attributers, when assigning blame to the Syrian authorities, rely on the conclusions of experts of the Fact-Finding Mission in Syria, which were formulated with a gross violation of the basic principle of the OPCW - the sequence of actions when collecting and preserving material evidence," the message reads.
A full assessment of the document, as noted in the mission, can only be given after a thorough analysis, which will take some time.
"As the very first reaction, we can note that this report, where responsibility for the use of chemical weapons is assigned to the Syrian government, is made with all the flaws inherent in the work of another special OPCW Commission - Fact-Finding Mission. Conclusions are made solely on the basis of remote investigation without going to the scene. They are based on the testimony of the Syrian armed opposition and its henchmen in the person of, in particular, repeatedly disgraced provocateurs from among the "White helmets", - the Russian mission to the OPCW said in a statement.
In a report published yesterday, the OPCW accused the Syrian government forces of using chemical weapons in March 2017.
This is, remarkably, the first time that the OPCW not only determines whether chemical weapons were used in Syria but also indicates who, in the opinion of the organization, is responsible for this.
GSV "Russia - Islamic World"
Photo: OPCW official website