Douma Chemical Attack: Russia to allow Inspectors To Visit Attack Site On April 18

Chemical weapons inspectors from the OPCW who are already in Syria will be permitted to visit the site of an alleged chemical attack in the town of Douma on Wednesday, Russia has said. This announcement comes since 48 hours have passed after the team from the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), reached Syria for the inspection.

The access to the chemical attack site which has killed atleast 50 people at last count has been denied to the inspectors by Russia and Syrian government citing “pending security issues.” Ahmet Üzümcü, the director general of OPCW at a meeting of its executive council said Syrian authorities were offering 22 people to interview as witnesses instead, he said, adding that he hoped “all necessary arrangements will be made … to allow the team to deploy to Douma as soon as possible”.

The delay in access to the site of the attack, which activists said was bombed with a mixture of chlorine gas and a nerve agent has come as U.S., UK and France trade charges with Russia over the chemical attack at the United Nations. Russia has accused the Western powers of fabricating evidence based on which the three countries carried out precision targeted attacks on Syria’s chemical research and storage facilities.

The bombing of the facilities in a suburb of Damascus was a joint effort by Washington, London and Paris without informing the United Nations Security Council of which Russia too is a permanent member.

Speaking in parliament on Monday, UK Prime Minister Theresa May accused Syria and Russia of blocking access and attempting to cover up the attack. “The Syrian regime has reportedly been attempting to conceal the evidence by searching evacuees from Douma to ensure samples are not being smuggled from this area, and a wider operation to conceal the facts of the attack is under way, supported by the Russians,” the prime minister said.

The UK’s OPCW delegation tweeted: “Russia & Syria have not yet allowed access to Douma. Unfettered access essential. Russia & Syria must cooperate.”

The Russian deputy envoy at the UN, Dmitry Polyanskiy, said the obstacles were caused by the western bombing. “If you go to a site which was just bombed I imagine you might have certain logistic problems,” he said.

Earlier, Russia’s deputy foreign minister, Sergei Ryabkov, said the inspectors could not access the site because they did not have the appropriate United Nations permission. In response the UN said it had provided the necessary clearances for a fact-finding mission.

Russian military officials were at the site of the Douma attack days before the OPCW reached Damascus. “It is our concern that they may have tampered with it,” Kenneth Ward, the U.S ambassador to the OPCW, told the council meeting.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Apr 17, 2018 07:33 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).