Canada to allocate $1.9 million to investigate Khan Shaykhun chemical incident

World June 30, 2017, 8:16

On June 29, the OPCW released a report on its investigation into the purported use of chemical weapons on April 4, 2017

OTTAWA, June 30. /TASS/. The government of Canada will allocate 2.5 million Canadian dollars ($1.9 million) to the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) to support its investigation into the reported use of toxic agents in Syria’s Khan Shaykhun, the country’s foreign ministry said on Thursday.

"Today’s announcement reflects Canada’s unwavering support to the Syrian people. The courageous and dedicated work of the OPCW is central to establishing the facts around chemical weapons attacks in Syria and ridding the world of these inhumane weapons," the statement quoted Canadian Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland as saying.

The Canadian Foreign Ministry expressed hope that this aid will help the OPCW to continue its fact-finding mission in the country.

On Thursday, the OPCW released a report on its investigation into the purported use of chemical weapons on April 4, 2017, in the city of Khan Shaykhun in the southern Idlib province. According to the report, nerve agent sarin was used in the area, killing about 100 people as a result.

The OPCW report will be subsequently handed over to a joint UN-OPCW commission tasked with establishing those guilty for the attack. According to Russia’s Defense Ministry, Syrian aircraft struck terrorists’ workshops producing chemical agents on the outskirts of the city. Washington accused Damascus of using chemical weapons, after which the US Navy delivered a missile strike overnight to April 7 on a Syrian military airfield in the province of Homs. Russia has repeatedly called for sending an OPCW team for an on-site investigation into the matter.

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