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Syria crisis: Russia will give UN evidence, says Lavrov Russia will give UN 'proof' of Syria rebel chemical use
(about 1 hour later)
Russia will give the Security Council evidence implicating Syrian rebels in a chemical attack on 21 August, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has said.Russia will give the Security Council evidence implicating Syrian rebels in a chemical attack on 21 August, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has said.
Syrian officials supplied the evidence, which Mr Lavrov has not yet seen.Syrian officials supplied the evidence, which Mr Lavrov has not yet seen.
A UN report released on Monday concluded the nerve agent sarin was used in the attack in Damascus, in which hundreds were killed.A UN report released on Monday concluded the nerve agent sarin was used in the attack in Damascus, in which hundreds were killed.
The US blamed government forces for the attack, but Russia and Damascus have insisted that rebels were responsible.The US blamed government forces for the attack, but Russia and Damascus have insisted that rebels were responsible.
The UN report did not apportion blame for the attack, which sparked diplomacy that culminated in a deal for Syria to hand over its chemical arsenal by mid-2014.The UN report did not apportion blame for the attack, which sparked diplomacy that culminated in a deal for Syria to hand over its chemical arsenal by mid-2014.
The report's author, Ake Sellstrom, told the BBC he believed that the task of finding and destroying Syria's chemical stockpile would be "stressful work", but was "doable". The UK, France and the US now want the disarmament deal enshrined in a UN resolution backed by the threat of military force.
He said much depended on whether the Syrian government and the opposition were willing to negotiate. But Russia, which has repeatedly cast doubt on the whether the regime carried out the attacks, has objected to any resolution authorising force.
The disarmament deal was brokered by the US and Russia. Mr Lavrov said there was plenty of evidence that pointed to rebel involvement in chemical attacks, including the Damascus assault.
The penalty for any possible breaches by Syria are now being thrashed out by the UN Security Council permanent members. "We will discuss all this in the Security Council, together with the report which was submitted by UN experts and which confirms that chemical weapons were used. We will have to find out who did it," he said.
Selective and incomplete Russia is the Syria's most important international ally, and has three times blocked resolutions criticising the regime over the civil war in which the UN says more than 100,000 people have died.
Mr Lavrov said there was plenty of evidence that pointed to rebel involvement in chemical attacks similar to the Damascus attack.
"We will have to find out who did it," he said.
Earlier Mr Lavrov's deputy, Sergei Ryabkov, said he had been given the evidence during a trip to Syria.Earlier Mr Lavrov's deputy, Sergei Ryabkov, said he had been given the evidence during a trip to Syria.
He said it needed to be analysed, and gave no details of its content.He said it needed to be analysed, and gave no details of its content.
Mr Ryabkov criticised the UN report, saying it was "distorted" and "one-sided".Mr Ryabkov criticised the UN report, saying it was "distorted" and "one-sided".
"The basis of information upon which it is built is not sufficient, and in any case we would need to learn and know more on what happened beyond and above that incident of 21 August," he said."The basis of information upon which it is built is not sufficient, and in any case we would need to learn and know more on what happened beyond and above that incident of 21 August," he said.
"We are disappointed, to put it mildly, about the approach taken by the UN secretariat and the UN inspectors, who prepared the report selectively and incompletely.""We are disappointed, to put it mildly, about the approach taken by the UN secretariat and the UN inspectors, who prepared the report selectively and incompletely."
In response to Mr Ryabkov's comments, Mr Sellstrom told the BBC he thought Russia was not criticising the report itself but the process, which he described a political matter and therefore not his remit The UN inspectors were originally mandated to go to Syria to investigate three alleged chemical weapons attacks, at Khan al-Assal, Sheikh Maqsoud and Saraqeb.
But they were later ordered to shift their focus to the Damascus incident, which was the most deadly chemical assault.
They are due to return to Syria "within weeks" to complete their inquiry into the other attacks, and a report is due in October.
Chief UN weapons inspector Ake Sellstrom, who wrote the report, told the BBC he thought Russia was not criticising the report itself but the process.
He described Mr Ryabkov's criticism as a political matter, and therefore not his remit
French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius defended the UN report, saying he was surprised by the Russian reaction.French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius defended the UN report, saying he was surprised by the Russian reaction.
"Nobody can question the objectivity of the people appointed by the UN," he said."Nobody can question the objectivity of the people appointed by the UN," he said.
Human Rights Watch has taken the trajectory of the rockets from the UN document and plotted their likely path.Human Rights Watch has taken the trajectory of the rockets from the UN document and plotted their likely path.
The rights group said the likely launch site for the missiles was in a government military compound.The rights group said the likely launch site for the missiles was in a government military compound.
The UN inspectors were originally mandated to go to Syria to investigate three alleged chemical weapons attacks, at Khan al-Assal, Sheikh Maqsoud and Saraqeb.
But they were later ordered to shift their focus to the Damascus incident, which was the most deadly chemical assault.
They are due to return to Syria "within weeks" to complete their inquiry into the other attacks, and a report is due in October.
UN divided
On Tuesday the five permanent UN Security Council members met in New York to discuss a draft resolution put forward by the UK, France and the US.
They want a resolution containing the threat of military action against Syria if it fails to comply with the disarmament deal, but Russia opposes this.
A resolution under Chapter VII of the UN charter permits military action if other measures do not succeed. Chapter VI requires a purely negotiated solution.
The BBC's Daniel Sandford in Moscow says Russia has delivered a promise from Syria to give up its chemical weapons, and it seems that at this stage Moscow does not feel like giving the Western allies anything more.
Russia and China have three times blocked Western-backed Security Council resolutions against Mr Assad.
More than 100,000 people have died since the uprising against President Assad began in 2011.
Millions of Syrians have fled the country and millions more have been internally displaced.