Western countries are exploiting the topic of chemical arms to apply more pressure on the Syrian government despite the fact Damascus has no such weapons, Russian Ambassador to the UN Vassily Nebenzia told the Security Council on Tuesday.
WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 28th August, 2018) Western countries are exploiting the topic of chemical arms to apply more pressure on the Syrian government despite the fact Damascus has no such weapons, Russian Ambassador to the UN Vassily Nebenzia told the Security Council on Tuesday.
"The chemical topic is crudely manipulated to put pressure on Damascus," Nebenzia said.
The publicity around such a possible provocation alone, he added, could "unleash strikes" in Syria. He also said that Syria's armed forces do not possess any chemical arms and there is no military need for the use of chlorine or other similar weapons in the country.
The Russian envoy said that any reasonable government would not needlessly use prohibited tactics that could trigger reprisal by the world's major powers, such as the United States, the United Kingdom, and France.
Moscow has also seen how western countries are more clearly supporting the al-Qaeda linked Jabhat Nusra terrorist group (banned in Russia), he added.
The Russian envoy thanked the other members of the Security Council for their warning about how they would respond to chemical attacks in Syria.
"We strongly suggest that you refrain from them [responses]," Nebenzia told the Council members.
On Monday, Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov warned that the United States was building up a group of cruise missile carriers in the middle East in order to react to the next staged chemical weapons attack in Syria.
Later on Monday, a US Defense Department spokesperson told Sputnik that Russia's claims were not true. The United Kingdom joined Washington by saying that Moscow is trying to fabricate a story and spread fake news.
