Russian ‘cover up’ as inspectors are kept away from gas attack town

RUSSIA was yesterday accused of helping to cover up the Syrian gas attack by barring chemical weapons inspectors from the area in Douma where as many as 75 people died.

US officials said the Russians may have visited the site of the atrocity and ‘tampered with it with the intent of thwarting the efforts’ of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons.

The UK delegation of the chemical

weapons watchdog said Russia and Syria were blocking its investigators and demanded ‘unfettered’ access.

Amid the row, Russia’s foreign minister declared that he believes diplomatic relations with the West are now worse than during the Cold War.

Sergey Lavrov said: ‘I think it is worse, because during the Cold War there were channels of communication.’

He added: ‘I can guarantee that Russia has not tampered with the site.’