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Russian diplomat slams revelation on fabricated Syria attack as ‘theater of absurd’

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova Vladimir Gerdo/TASS
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova
© Vladimir Gerdo/TASS

MOSCOW, February 14. /TASS/. The latest revelation by BBC Syria producer Riam Dalati that the chemical attack in Syria’s Douma was fabricated is the "culmination of the theater of absurd" in Western media’s coverage of Syria events, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told reporters on Thursday.

"Over the past years, and not only in Syria, we have seen just a tragifarce performed by the Western community and mass media, which on the one hand, speak about high democratic goals and allegedly take care about civilians of a sovereign state, and on the other hand, they just do not give a damn about all laws, the international law, freedoms and rights of a nation and certain people," Zakharova noted.

"The culmination of this theater of absurd may be a statement by a BBC producer who confirmed based on his own research that the footage [in Syria's Douma] had been staged with direct participation of the "White Helmets," Zakharova said, noting that Russia wants to listen to the company’s position because it actively covered the events from the perspective of supporting the steps of the so-called US-led coalition in Syria.

According to Zakharova, the situation around Syria mirrors the events, which had developed around Iraq. "As a rule, given modern technical opportunities, the truth emerges nearly in six months or a year. But this time is enough to do a lot, and the Western states, which carried out escapades in Syria, had actually sought this," she noted.

On April 14, 2018 the United States, the United Kingdom and France launched missile strikes on Syria’s military and civilian infrastructure facilities without the UN Security Council's permission. The strikes targeted a scientific and research center in Damascus, the Republican Guard’s headquarters, an air defense base, several airfields and army depots. According to the Russian Defense Ministry, Syrian air defenses managed to shoot down 71 out of 103 missiles.

Washington, London and Paris claimed the strikes were a response to an alleged chemical weapons attack in the Syrian town of Douma on April 7. Representatives of the Russian Center for Reconciliation of Opposing Sides in Syria visited the site on April 9, but did not find any signs of using chemical weapons.