Russia still insisting on unbiased investigation of chemical incident in Syria's Khan-Sheikhun on April 4 - Patrushev
MOSCOW. May 18 (Interfax) - The Russian side is for a comprehensive investigation of the alleged use of prohibited substances in the Syrian settlement of Khan-Sheikhun, Russian Security Council Secretary Nikolai Patrushev said.
"Russia strongly condemns any use of chemical weapons. Those responsible for committing such crimes must be strictly held accountable. This is exactly why our country insisted and continues to insist - both at the UN Security Council and at the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons - on holding a thorough and unbiased investigation of the alleged chemical incident in Khan-Sheikhun on April 4," Patrushev said in an interview published in the Rossiyskaya Gazeta newspaper.
Damascus has duly completed disposal of Syria's chemical weapon arsenal, he said.
"Early in 2016, the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) announced its [chemical arsenal's] withdrawal and destruction beyond Syria and the U.S. was satisfied with the OPCW conclusions. It is noteworthy that Western media still prefer not to mention proven facts of the use of chemical warfare agents or highly toxic chemicals by terrorists, including in Aleppo," Patrushev said.