THE HAGUE, September 12. /TASS/. The Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) can and should play an important role to thwart the staging of a false flag ‘chemical attack’ provocation in Syria’s Idlib, Russian Permanent Representative to the OPCW Alexander Shulgin told reporters on Wednesday.
He noted that during the OPCW briefing on the Salisbury and Amesbury incidents Russia also drew attention to "a very dangerous situation unfolding in Idlib." "Reports received yesterday said a video featuring a fake chemical attack to be pinned on the Syrian authorities was being filmed," the diplomat said.
"We called on the delegations to be vigilant," Shulgin stressed. "We urged them to step up demands that the OPCW Technical Secretariat take a definite stand here. After all, this is a specialized agency, and it must use its sway to prevent that provocation. Some delegations agreed with that point of view. We stressed that it is essential to do everything possible to prevent another provocation."
The Russian Defense Ministry reported on August 25 that militants in Idlib enjoying active assistance from British secret services were gearing up for what would become a fake chemical attack against civilians to be blamed on Damascus’ forces. The false flag is to serve as a pretext for a missile strike by the United States, Britain and France against Syrian government and economic facilities.