Russia accused of ‘obscene masquerade’ of Douma family

Western diplomats accused Russia and Syria of an ‘‘obscene masquerade’’ yesterday after the countries presented an 11-year-old Syrian boy at a press conference in an attempt to disprove claims of a chemical attack by the Assad regime.

Three children took part in the briefing at The Hague in the Netherlands, during which Syrians brought there by Russia said there was no chemical attack in the city of Douma this month.

The briefing, arranged by Russian diplomats, was held at the headquarters of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), an international watchdog investigating claims that dozens were killed in the attack on April 7.

Alexander Shulgin, Russia’s ambassador to the Netherlands and to the OPCW, said the press conference had been called to ‘‘prove that the footage of the White Helmets is a crude staged action’’, referring to footage taken by a Syrian opposition rescue force that showed people allegedly suffering after the attack.

A group of about 15 Syrians at the briefing who said they had been present at the time of the attack claimed they had not smelled chemicals, and that it was debris from a bombardment that had caused people to choke.

One of those present was Hassan Diab, 11, who was seen in footage being doused with water after the attack, apparently to mitigate the effect of chemicals. He and his father were later shown on Russian TV claiming the video was staged and there was no gas.

Britain, the United States and France condemned the briefing and refused to attend. They accuse Syrian President Bashar alAssad’s regime of carrying out the attack in a rebel-held area of Douma, causing numerous civilian

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casualties.

Philippe Lalliot, France’s ambassador to the Netherlands, said: ‘‘This obscene masquerade does not come as a surprise from the Syrian government, which has massacred and gassed its own people for the last seven years.’’

Peter Wilson, Britain’s envoy to the OPCW, said the watchdog was ‘‘not a theatre’’.

Inspectors from the OPCW made a second visit to Douma on Thursday and collected samples. It is unclear when the group will produce a report.

Shulgin criticised Western representatives for not attending the Hague briefing. ‘‘Probably, the truth stings the eyes,’’ he said. ‘‘They are afraid to look the truth in the face. They are afraid to look into the eyes of little Hassan.’’

The US, France and Britain fired missiles at suspected chemical weapons sites in Syria on April 14 in response to the Douma attack. – The Times

PHOTO: AP Eleven-year-old Syrian Hasan Diab, who spoke and whose image was projected on a screen during a press conference, talks to his mother in The Hague, Netherlands.