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Terrorists in Syria used chemical weapons equipment from Western Europe — Russian diplomat

Moscow is ready to provide the corresponding proofs, the Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman said
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova Mikhail Pochuyev/TASS
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova
© Mikhail Pochuyev/TASS

ODINTSOVO (Moscow Region), June 22. /TASS/. Chemical weapons production equipment found in the Syrian town of Douma and used by terrorists based there was manufactured in Western Europe, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Friday.

"What you see is the equipment used by terrorists. It was found in the town of Douma," the Russian diplomat said at a joint news briefing with Russia’s Defense Ministry on investigating the cases of chemical weapons use in Syria.

"Now an investigation is underway to establish who of the militants and terrorists used this equipment, which is improvised plant, on the one hand, but which also includes quite professional components, on the other hand," the spokeswoman said during the demonstration of images showing the chemical weapons equipment found in Syria’s Douma.

"I would like to draw attention to the fact that the part of equipment, which is professional plant from an expert viewpoint, was, unfortunately, manufactured in West European countries," the Russian diplomat said.

"We are ready to transfer specific information in a working procedure to our colleagues, if they display interest in that, and provide the corresponding proofs that this equipment got into terrorists’ and militants’ hands from Western Europe," Zakharova stressed.

Representatives of the diplomatic corps and the media were invited to the news briefing of Russia’s Foreign and Defense Ministries on the probe into the incidents of the use of chemical weapons in Syria.

After introductory statements by Zakharova and Chief of Russia’s Nuclear, Biological and Chemical (NBC) Protection Forces Major-General Igor Kirillov, the media representatives were requested to leave the conference room. The news briefing continued behind closed doors for foreign diplomats only.