RUSSIA TO PROVIDE UNSC WITH DATA FOR CHEM WEAPONS' USED BY SYRIAN REBELS

RUSSIA TO PROVIDE UNSC WITH DATA FOR CHEM WEAPONS' USED  BY SYRIAN REBELS

Published time: September 18, 2013

http://rt.com/news/russia-syria-evidence-chemical-023/

Russia will provide the UN Security Council with data proving that the chemical weapons near Damascus were used by the opposition, Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov said. The materials were handed to Russia by the Syrian government of Bashar Assad.

“We have plenty of reports on chemical weapons use, which indicate that the opposition regularly resorts to provocations in order to trigger strikes and intervention against Syria,” Lavrov said. “There’s a lot of data. It’s widely available on the Internet. This data is presented in the report, which our experts put together in association with the use of chemical weapons in Aleppo in March this year. There’s also plenty of data on the incidents that occurred in August in Ghouta, near Damascus.”
“All of this will be considered in the Security Council, together with a report, which was submitted by UN experts, confirming that chemical weapons were used,” he added.

The minister stressed that “it’s yet to be established,” which side in the Syrian conflict – opposition or government – is responsible for the use of chemical weapons.

The Russian FM said that the Syrian authorities handed the data to Russia’s deputy foreign minister, Sergey Ryabkov, who is currently on a visit in Damascus.
“I haven’t seen it yet, but I’m sure that the experts are going to work with it and, of course, we’ll provide it to the security council,” he added.

‘No Russian chemical weapons in Syria’ – Kremlin

Neither Russia, nor the USSR has ever supplied chemical weapons to any other foreign state, Sergey Ivanov, the head of the Kremlin’s administration, stressed.

"Nobody disputes the fact that the Soviet Union has never shipped warheads armed with sarin to Syria or any other country,” the official is cited as saying by Interfax-Ukraina news agency.

The statement comes after the report by the UN experts in Syria claimed that a rocket found on the site of the August 21 chemical attack near Damascus had writings in Cyrillic on it.  

According to Ivanov, the ammunition used in the chemical attack in Ghouta, near the Syrian capital was most likely “backyard produced.”

Previously, US Secretary of Defense, Chuck Hagel, said that there’s plenty of chemical arms in the Syria, which was supplied to the country by the Russians.

The US and its allies blame Assad forces for using sarin gas against civilians in a chemical attack near the Syrian capital, Damascus, on August 21.

Despite the Syrian government denying the accusations and no proof of its guilt being presented by Washington, Obama announced that there would be “limited military” action against Assad because the use of chemical weapons can’t be tolerated.

But the US strikes were put on hold after a Russian proposal to hand the Syrian chemical weapons arsenal to international inspectors for destruction, a plan that received the full backing of Assad’s government.

The civil war, in which the Syrian government is fighting what it calls Western-backed Islamist militants, has been raging in the Arab country since March 2011, and has claimed over 100,000 lives, according to UN estimate

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COMMENTS

Geoff King 18.09.2013

Russia wants to sell arms to Assad. The US and others give arms to the Al Qaeda "rebels". Qatar and Saudi Arabia want to build a natural gas pipeline through Syria. Israel and Turkey both want a piece of Syria. The CIA backed Al Qaeda wants to create instability throughout the Middle East. European nations want cheaper natural gas than what Russia sells them now. Anyone who believes this has anything to do with chemical weapons is delusional.

Richard Rittenburg answer to Geoff King

Al Queda and other islamicist groups are less than 5%. Rebels can only arm 1/4th to 1/5th of their volunteers so many of them grow a beard in order to get a gun. If USA gave rebels enough weapons to arm all fighters then war would be over in just a few weeks.

logical-american 18.09.2013

Fine Russia.
Please present your 'evidence' but the UN investigators made it pretty clear in Appendix 5 of the report that the trajectory for 2 of the 5 rocket attacks came from Mount Qasioun.

So I look forward to Russia explaining how rebels went into the most secure area of loyalist territory, stole Soviet truck rocket launchers, conducted a 5 prong attack and then went back to rebel territory without being noticed or attacked by loyalist forces.

I think it will be fun to hear Russia argue with mathematics and the near impossibility of rebels covertly infiltrating Mount Qasioun Republican Guard base.

Geoff King 18.09.2013

I believe this no longer has anything to do with nations, races, religions, or even politics. It has to do with a total New World Order takeover of the planet. Those that have want everything they do not already own. Those that have not are just pawns, slaves, or cannon fodder.

Vlad Hangan 18.09.2013

It is clear the Obama's agenda has nothing to do with protecting the Syrian civilians from future chemical attacks. It was merely used as a pre-text for undisclosed economical, geo-political and other reasons. Russian diplomacy deserves admiration; they forced the US to agree to the terms to put Syrian chemical weapons under international control. Putin & Lavrov outplayed Obama & Kerry in the own game. It is obvious now, Obama & Kerry's statements blaming Assad for the usage of Sarin are either deliberate lies.

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