THE UNITED NATIONS, October 6. /TASS/. Western states were reluctant to listen to a speech by former head of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) Jose Bustani in the UN Security Council because they are afraid of the uncomfortable truth that the structure is politicized, Russian Permanent Representative to the United Nations Vasily Nebenzya told reporters on Monday.
"This incident showed that some our partners are afraid and they feel insecure when we discuss the chemical dossier, because they are confused by the truth. They don’t like the uncomfortable facts that we want to present," the diplomat said, commenting the situation after the meeting.
Russia, which holds presidency in the UN Security Council in October, suggested listening to a report by Bustani at the meeting devoted to eliminating Syrian chemical weapons. However, UK Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN Jonathan Allen suggested holding the vote on the briefer’s participation. Belgium, the UK, Germany, the US, France and Estonia voted against listening to Bustani.
"What happened today is a shame and disgrace. You went down in the Security Council’s history because the Council had never voted on the presence or absence of a briefer proposed by the president," Nebenzya said, addressing the countries that were against giving the floor to the former OCPW chief.
Russia’s UN envoy read Bustani’s speech aloud himself. The diplomat strongly criticized the current situation in the OPCW, expressing the opinion that the structure’s reputation was compromised and many its investigations were carried out under pressure.