Mass weaponry circulating in Middle East, including from Soviet times - Lavrov
MOSCOW. Sept 17 (Interfax) - Reports claiming that a Soviet-era rocket delivered sarin gas to Ghouta near Damascus on August 21 must be studied in their entirety, said Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.
"Concerning this concrete case, I have said already that all factors must be studied in their entirety, including the evidence provided by those who have visited the place where this happened," Lavrov said at a press conference after talks with his French counterpart Laurent Fabius.
He said part of the inscription on a casing found was in what looked like Cyrillic letters. Soviet-era weapons can still be found in the Middle East, Lavrov said.
"So much weaponry has been circulating in this region since the Soviet era and more recent times! Incidentally, the weapons delivered to Libya during the conflict, contrary to the UN Security Council-approved embargo, are still circulating all over North Africa, and possibly beyond," Lavrov said.