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On April 10, a meeting of the UN Security Council took place amid open US preparations to attack Syria. Three resolutions on the “independent mechanism of investigation” over the alleged chemical attack were drafted.
The first resolution was introduced by the USA and vetoed by Russia. It was the 12th time Russian veto to block the UN Security Council action on Syria. Slamming Russian veto, the US representative Nikki Haley stated:
“History will record that, on this day, Russia chose to protect a monster over the lives of the Syrian people”.
In response, Russia’s permanent representative to the UN Vasily Nebenzya vowed to carry out the joint international investigation of the Douma incident. He emphasized that the US moves are designed to “mask reality”:
“This has nothing to do with being independent,” replied. “You do not need the investigation… you have simply been looking for a pretext [to attack Assad]”.
The second draft was proposed by Russia. According to it there would be established the mechanism for one year, but would have given the UN Security Council the responsibility to assign responsibility for the use of chemical weapons in Syria. Seven countries, including the veto’s ones rejected this resolution.
The third draft was also penned by Russia. It concerned the work of the (Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons) OPCW Fact-Finding Mission (FFM).
“The threats you are proffering that you’re stating vis-a-vis Syria should make us seriously worried, all of us, because we could find ourselves on the threshold of some very sad and serious events,” Nebenzia told U.S. Ambassador Nikki Haley.
During the UNSC meeting, Nebenzia also revealed that two groups of the UN chemical watchdog’s experts will leave for Syria:
“As far as we know, two OPCW expert teams are to be sent to Syria at the end of the current week”.
It is to underline, that the OPCW has announced that it will deploy Fact-Finding Mission to Douma “shortly.”
In case you missed it: #OPCW will deploy the Fact-Finding Mission (FFM) to #Douma, #Syria. Learn more: https://t.co/ban2xukAKx pic.twitter.com/7cTDeYJzdJ
— OPCW (@OPCW) 10 April 2018
Following the UNSC meeting, the US stated they wouldn’t wait the results of the international investigation into the alleged chemical attack in Syria’s Douma. Regardless the OPCW conclusion the US could decide if an attack on Syria should be accomplished or not, the US State Department says.
“The United States government has its own mechanisms to be able to look into things,” the State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert told reporters.
Since the very first reports of the alleged chemical weapons attack in Douma, Syria and Russia have demanded the OPCW to investigate this incident amid the deteriorating international provocations and accusations toward Syria, Russia and Iran.
The UK newspaper the Guardian reported on April 11 that the Prime Minister Theresa May had once again condemned the “brutality” of the attack, pointing:
“Of course we’ll be talking about this issue, including the discussions that have been taking place at the security council of the United Nations”.
Another US ally France has repeatedly promised to strike Syrian government forces, and that Paris is prepared to act. French President Emmanuel Macron said that a decision on whether or not to carry out military action against Syria was being discussed between Washington, London and Paris. He also assured that Syria’s allies (Russia and Iran) wouldn’t be targeted.
“We will continue exchanges of technical and strategic information with our partners in particular Britain and America, and in the coming days we will announce our decision,” the French president said Tuesday.
These careful British and French statements describe their apprehensions in the escalating tensions between the US and Russia. The awareness of the Russian power in the case of their attack makes the US allies so “punctual” and “prudent” in their speech.
Confronting all these “soft” rhetoric and procrastinating actions, Trump threatened Damascus and Moscow and said Russia has be “ready” for a US military action. He blamed Russia for the corrupted investigation and stressed that Russia “needs US help in the economy”.
Russia vows to shoot down any and all missiles fired at Syria. Get ready Russia, because they will be coming, nice and new and “smart!” You shouldn’t be partners with a Gas Killing Animal who kills his people and enjoys it!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) 11 April 2018
Our relationship with Russia is worse now than it has ever been, and that includes the Cold War. There is no reason for this. Russia needs us to help with their economy, something that would be very easy to do, and we need all nations to work together. Stop the arms race?
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) 11 April 2018
The US and its allies are not event trying to find some kind of formal justification of their aggressive actions. These approach are used over both the Douma “chemical attack” and the Skripal poisoning. In the both cases, they have used a fabricated media information event to escalate the situation or as a pretext for direct actions.
The Douma “chemical attack” accusations against the Assad government, Russia and Iran are even more cynical. The White Helmets, the key source of the “chemical attack” reports have just failed to fabricate solid video proofs of the “Assad regime” involvement.
Furthermore, Syria and Russia have repeatedly warned of possibility of provocations involving chemical weapons across Syria, including the Eastern Ghouta region where Douma is located. However, these warnings have beeen ignored.
Syrian suggestions to provide all possible assistance to the OPCW or other international investigators of the events have been also ignored. President Trump likes “smart” missiles more than a proper investigation.
According to some experts, the US administration has just decided to showcase its modern offensive means as a preventive reaction to the development of new Russian nuclear weapon systems.
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