MOSCOW. April 20 (Interfax) - Specialists from the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) are being prevented by internal 'political maneuvers' within this organization from properly investigating the events in Syria's Idlib governorate, where chemical weapons were used, Russian Federation Council international affairs committee head Konstantin Kosachyov said.
"Specialists, primarily those from the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, must establish who was responsible for this operation and whether it was real or stage-managed. These specialists cannot proceed to perform their duties and mission fully, because this work is being impeded by various political maneuvers within this organization," Kosachyov said during a teleconference between Russian and Egyptian parliamentarians, entitled 'A peaceful future for Syria: Moscow-Cairo'.
Chemical warfare agents were most likely in fact used in the Idlib governorate in early April, but that is the only thing that one can say with certainty right now, Kosachyov said.
"But any actions that might prompt a response to this tragedy should, of course, be based on specialists' impartial conclusions rather than some geopolitical considerations, as we saw in the actions of the United States, which obviously overstepped international law," Kosachyov said.