Watchdog backs UK findings on Salisbury poison attack

THE HAGUE —Testing by four laboratories affiliated with the global chemical weapons watchdog have confirmed British findings on the nerve agent used in last month’s attack on a former Russian spy in England, a summary of the findings published on Thursday showed.

British Prime Minister Theresa May said on March 12 that Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia had been poisoned with a militarygrade nerve agent from the Novichok group of poisons, developed by the Soviet Union in the 1970s and ‘80s.

The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, which collected its own samples in the city of Salisbury at Britain’s request, did not assign blame for the attack, in which Russia has denied involvement, or name the chemical agent.

“The results of analysis by OPCW-designated laboratories of environmental and biomedical samples collected by the OPCW team confirm the findings of the United Kingdom relating to the identity of the toxic chemical that was used in Salisbury and severely injured three people,” the summary said.

A British police officer was also taken ill after helping the Skripals.

Britain called a session of the executive council of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) after the body issued the attack report.

“We will now work tirelessly with our partners to help stamp out the grotesque use of weapons of this kind and we have called a session of the OPCW Executive Council next Wednesday to discuss next steps,” Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson said in a statement.

The poisoning touched off one of the biggest diplomatic crises between Russia and Western nations since the Cold War, with both sides expelling scores of diplomats.

The OPCW laboratory results confirmed that the poison “was a military grade nerve agent — a Novichok”, British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson said, responding to the summary.

“There can be no doubt what was used and there remains no alternative explanation about who was responsible — only Russia has the means, motive and record,” he said.

The poisoning of Skripal, a former double agent who settled in Britain in 2010 after being released by Moscow in a spy swap, shows “how reckless Russia is prepared to be”, the head of Britain’s GCHQ spy agency said on Thursday.

Russia has denied possessing the nerve agent Britain says was used while President Vladimir Putin has said it was nonsense to think Moscow would have poisoned Skripal and his daughter. —