MOSCOW. Nov 17 (Interfax) - The criticism leveled by Western countries at Russia for vetoing a U.S.-sponsored draft UN Security Council resolution on extending the mandate of the OPCW-UN Joint Investigative Mechanism for Syria is absolutely unfounded, Russian State Duma Foreign Affairs Committee head Leonid Slutsky said.
"The West is trying once again to shove a nonconsensual resolution through the UN Security Council, and Russia's proposals on the same matter have been rejected," Slutsky told journalists on Friday.
This situation "has been used once again to marginalize Russia's image in the international sphere and promotion of one's own geopolitical interests, which may be far less noble than the goals declared," he said.
Slutsky said he has memory of how UN Security Council resolutions were interpreted arbitrarily and served as a smokescreen for toppling legitimately elected regimes.
"Instances of chemical weapons use in Syria certainly require a careful and - I emphasize it - independent investigation. This is particularly relevant considering that SAR legitimate authorities declared full chemical disarmament back in 2014," he said.