UNITED NATIONS, January 18. /TASS/. Moscow calls for taking into account the real risks of chemical terrorism spreading beyond the Middle East, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said at a UN Security Council meeting on non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.
"We cannot ignore the very real danger of chemical terrorism spreading beyond the Middle East, taking into account, in particular, a significant segment of foreign militants among extremists," he said.
Lavrov noted that terrorists who arrived in Syria and Iraq from abroad "had an opportunity to gain practical experience and skills in creating and using chemical weapons."
'Turning a blind eye'
Some Western countries prefer turning a blind eye to the use and production of chemical weapons by terrorists in Syria and Iraq, at the same time accusing Damascus without furnishing proof, Lavrov said.
"We have repeatedly suggested passing a resolution of the UN Security Council or at least a statement by its chair denouncing concrete incidents of chemical terrorism in Syria and Iraq," the Russian diplomat said. "Unfortunately, all our proposals have been always met with tough resistance from a number of our Western colleagues, who prefer to turn a blind eye to the facts of use and even production of chemical weapons by terrorists, and come forward with unfounded accusations against Damascus," he said.
He said Moscow deems it inadmissible "to gamble on tasks of fight against proliferation of weapons of mass destruction to achieve selfish geopolitical aims". The minister pointed to a need for an objective investigation of incidents of an alleged use of chemical weapons in the Middle East. "We confirm our suggestion to form a new mechanism to investigate incidents in which chemical weapons were used in Syria on the principles that are fully in line with the provisions of the convention on the prohibition of chemical weapons," the diplomat said.