Russia Fails to Block Chemical Arms Body's New Powers

The Hague, Nov 20 (AFP) Russia failed on Tuesday in its bid to stall the global chemical warfare watchdog's controversial new power to apportion blame for attacks like those in Syria.

After a bitter war of words, states approved the 2019 budget for the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, which includes funding for the new role.

They also shot down a proposal by Russia and China to set up an "expert group" which the West said would have effectively blocked the new powers.

In June the OPCW approved a British-backed move to allow the body to attribute blame for chemical attacks. Previously it could only confirm whether or not toxic arms had been used.

"A clear majority against an attempt to wreck the historic June decision," British ambassador to the OPCW Peter Wilson said on Twitter.

"An overwhelming result, which clearly says #NoToChemicalWeapons."

Applause broke out at the meeting in The Hague after member states voted 99 to 27 in favour of the 2019 budget.

It was the first time the OPCW had ever voted on the budget, after Russia and Iran, which both oppose the new attribution powers, insisted on a vote.

The OPCW also voted 82-30 against Russia's joint plan with China to set up an "open ended" group to scrutinise how the new powers would work.

Iran, Syria, Pakistan, South Africa, Palestine and Cuba were among those that backed Russia.

The West pushed through the new blaming powers after a string of chemical incidents in Syria, as well as a nerve agent attack on Russian former double agent Sergei Skripal in the British city of Salisbury in March.

The OPCW says it aims to set up a team early next year that could attribute blame for all chemical attacks in Syria since 2013.

It will also be allowed to point the finger for attacks elsewhere if asked to by the country where the incident happened.

Britain and the United States had accused their rivals of trying to effectively reverse the earlier change to the watchdog's rules.

Russia and the West traded bitter accusations of lying and hypocrisy on Monday as the OPCW debated the issue.

Russian envoy Alexander Shulgin said Western claims of chemical weapons use by Damascus and Moscow were "out and out lies" and said the new powers were "illegitimate".

US Ambassador Kenneth Ward however accused Russia of "pungent hypocrisy" and warned against allowing a "new era of chemical weapons use to take hold."

The meeting also took place under the shadow of the expulsion of four Russians accused by Dutch authorities of trying to hack into the OPCW's computer system in April.

The alleged Russian agents from the GRU military intelligence agency used electronic equipment hidden in a car parked outside a nearby hotel, the Netherlands said.

At the time the organisation was investigating the attack on Skripal as well as a major chemical attack in Syria. The spying incident is not on this meeting's agenda, however.

Winner of the Nobel Peace Prize in 2013, the OPCW was set up by the 1997 Chemical Weapons Convention under which almost every country in the world pledged to give up toxic arms.

The OPCW says it has overseen the destruction of 96.5 per cent of the world's chemical arms stocks. (AFP) SMJ

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)