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London calls Russia’s proposal for joint Salisbury incident probe 'perverse'

On Wednesday, The Hague is hosting a special session of the OPCW Executive Council on the Skripal case convened at Russia’s initiative

© EPA-EFE/NEIL HALL

THE HAGUE, April 4. /TASS/. The UK believes Russia’s proposal to conduct a joint investigation into the Salisbury incident is perverse, Britain’s Delegation to the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) tweeted on Wednesday.

"Russia’s proposal for a joint, UK/Russian investigation into the Salisbury incident is perverse. It is a diversionary tactic, and yet more disinformation designed to evade the questions the Russian authorities must answer," it noted.

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On Wednesday, The Hague is hosting a special session of the OPCW Executive Council on the Skripal case convened at Russia’s initiative. Russian Permanent Representative to the OPCW, Alexander Shulgin, earlier told TASS that Moscow planned to come up with constructive proposals for a civilized investigation into the Salisbury incident.

On March 4, former Russian military intelligence Colonel Sergei Skripal, 66, who had been convicted in Russia of spying for Great Britain and was later swapped for Russian intelligence officers, and his daughter Yulia, 33, were found unconscious on a bench near the Maltings shopping center in Salisbury, the UK. Police said they had allegedly been exposed to a nerve agent.

London immediately accused Russia of being involved, but failed to produce any evidence. British Prime Minister Theresa May rushed to blame Russia for "unlawful use of force" against her country. She identified the alleged substance used in the attack as the so-called Novichok nerve agent, allegedly developed in the former Soviet Union. Subsequently, the UK expelled 23 Russian diplomats and announced other restrictive measures against Moscow. Russia has flatly rejected these allegations pointing out that neither the Soviet Union nor Russia had any programs to develop that substance.

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Skripal poisoning case

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