U.S. ignored appeals for Syria chemical arms proof: Russia
UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - Russia on Monday accused Washington of ignoring Moscow's appeals for proof of Syrian government involvement in chemical weapons attacks in Syria during the country's more than 2-1/2-year old civil war. "Our requests for additional information which could prove the Syrian government involvement in the use of chemical weapons were ignored by Washington," Russian U.N. Ambassador Vitaly Churkin told reporters after a closed-door meeting on chief U.N. chemical arms investigator Ake Sellstrom's final report. Churkin said allegations about Syrian government involvement in chemical attacks, including an August 21 sarin gas attack that killed hundreds of people, "were not persuasive." He added that Moscow viewed the August 21 incident as a massive provocation by rebels aiming to oust President Bashar al-Assad. (Reporting by Louis Charbonneau)
