Syrian Arab News Agency S A N A
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Moscow, SANA – Russian Foreign Minister, Sergei Lavrov, criticized on Wednesday the accusations against the Syrian government of using Sarin gas, pointing out that such accusations serve the plots of those who are orchestrating the scenario of using force to resolve the ongoing crisis in Syria.
In a statement to reporters, Lavrov said that the OPCW experts had concluded after conducting analyses that the “armed opposition” is the one that used sarin gas.
Last December, the UN mission which was tasked with investigating the allegations on the use of chemical weapons in Syria confirmed what the Syrian government said and its letters to the UN Security Council and the UN Secretary-General on the use of sarin gas by the armed terrorist groups in Khan al-Assal and in some areas in Damascus countryside.
Earlier, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Gennady Gatilov said the process of removing Syria’s chemical weapons has come to an end, with the Syrian government fulfilling its commitments in this regard.
“We believe that Syria has fulfilled its obligations, and the remainder is not that significant as regards the ultimate goal of having fully chemical weapons in Syria fully dispensed with,” Gatilov was quoted as saying to Russian journalists.
“Nonetheless,” he added, “Western states are trying to raise doubts about Syria, alleging it might have hidden toxic materials.”
“Just yesterday, the issue was brought up at the [UN] Security Council in response to Western attempts to raise trivial objections or find faults in the process…We made it quite clear that the chemical weapons removal in Syria has been complete. End of story,” said the Russian official.
Applauding the “commendable’ level of cooperation shown by Damascus as deserving “positive appreciation”, Gatilov said “I will be wrong were I to find anything that might cast a shadow on the Syrian stance.”
Earlier on Tuesday, Sigrid Kaag, the Special Coordinator for the OPCW-UN Joint Mission announced that “the total of the declared chemical materials which had been destroyed or transferred amounted to 100 percent.”
Kaag hailed, in this regard, the Syrian government which has always shown a desire to work constructively for positive ends to be reached.
M. Ismael
