Russia ‘threatens toxic weapon ban’

THE HAGUE: The international convention banning the use of chemical weapons is under “serious threat” following the nerve agent attack in Salisbury, Britain has warned.

The claim was made at a special session of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) meeting in the Netherlands.

THE INTERNATIONAL convention banning the use of chemical weapons is under “serious threat” following the nerve agent attack on a former Russian spy in Salisbury, Britain has warned.

Speaking to a special session of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), the head of Britain’s delegation, Peter Wilson, said that the attack on Sergei Skripal was one in a series of recent incidents around the world involving the banned toxins.

Restating the UK’s conviction that only Russia had the means and motive to target Mr Skripal and his daughter Yulia, Mr Wilson denounced Moscow’s “reckless and indiscriminate” behaviour. And he said Russia had responded to evidence pointing to its responsibility for the March 4 attack by attempting to undermine the reputation of the OPCW in its efforts to escape censure.

Meanwhile, the EU issued a joint statement with six other European countries calling on Moscow to provide “immediate, full and complete disclosure” of any chemical weapons programme relevant to the Salisbury attack.

The statement warned of unspecified “consequences” if Russia failed to co-operate with the OPCW on the case.

“Russia has waged a brazen disinformation campaign, and attacked the reputation and expertise of the OPCW,” Mr Wilson told the meeting in The Hague.

“We will continue to call out Russia’s reckless and indiscriminate behaviour when it violates the Chemical Weapons Convention, and when it threatens global security.”

Britain called the meeting yesterday to discuss an OPCW report which last week backed the UK’s finding on the type of nerve agent used in Salisbury. The published report did not name the poison as Novichok or identify its source, but noted that the toxic chemical was “of high purity”.

The name and structure of the agent are included in a classified report which has yet to be made public.

Moscow continues to deny being the source of the poison used in the March 4 attack.

But Mr Wilson, Britain’s ambassador to the Netherlands, told the meeting that the OPCW’s “highly professional” mission had “clearly verified” the UK’s assessment.

“We believe that only Russia had the technical means, operational experience and motive to target the Skripals,” he said.

“In the past 14 months, we have seen the use of chemical weapons in Syria, in Iraq, in Malaysia and now in the UK.

“This is a serious threat to the CWC (Chemical Weapons Convention).”

In a joint statement to the meeting, the EU along with Norway, Iceland, Albania, Georgia, Ukraine and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, expressed their “full confidence” in the OPCW report.

The report “clearly confirms the findings of the UK”, said the statement, delivered by Bulgarian representative Krassimir Kostov.

The meeting came as the UK’s broadcasting watchdog Ofcom announced it had opened seven new investigations into the impartiality of programmes on the RT news channel – formerly Russia Today – in the wake of the Salisbury attack.

We will continue to call out Russia’s reckless behaviour. Peter Wilson, head of the British delegation.