OPCW-UN report on chemical use in Syria ignores Russia's opinions
By huaxia
Xinhua
1509215081000

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Picture taken on October 30, 2013 shows employees in protective gear holding a dummy grenade during a demonstration in the chemical weapons disposal facility at GEKA (Gesellschaft zur Entsorgung von chemischen Kampfstoffen und Ruestungsaltlasten) in Munster, northern Germany. Photo:Xinhua

A report by the Joint Investigative Mechanism (JIM) on a probe into the possible use of chemical weapons in Syria completely ignores opinions of Russian experts, the Russian Foreign ministry said Friday.

"It is evident that the opinions and assessments of Russian specialists, transferred to the mechanism at its own request, were completely ignored. There are no answers to our questions," the ministry said in a statement.

JIM was jointly established by the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) and the United Nations (UN) under UN Security Council resolution 2235 in 2015.

The JIM report includes opposite conclusions, made by anonymous research centers and independent experts, which are not supported by any convincing argument, it added.

Issued Thursday, JIM's report concluded that Syria's Air Force should be held accountable for using the poison gas sarin in the Syrian town of Khan Sheikhoun in Idlib province in April.

Moscow will present a more detailed analysis next week after a thorough study of the report, according to the statement.

Earlier in the day, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said the JIM report was based on "flawed methodology and biased evidence," and that Moscow would come up with measures to improve investigation methods after analyzing the findings.

A chemical attack was reportedly launched on Khan Sheihoun in Syria on April 4 this year and killed dozens of people, but the Syrian government has repeatedly dismissed the Western accusations of its responsibility in the incident, saying it had never used chemical weapons in the Syrian territory.