Russia has lifted its objections to a UN investigation into chemical attacks in Syria, clearing the way for the probe to begin, diplomats said on Thursday.
The UN Security Council unanimously adopted a resolution Aug. 7 approving a joint investigation by the UN and the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons.
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon had followed up by proposing that the mission be entrusted to three independent experts, and asked the Security Council for the go ahead to recruit them.
However, Russia, which heads the council this month, delayed in responding.
According to diplomats, Moscow wanted guarantees on several points, notably that the sovereignty of its Syrian ally would be respected and on the mission’s financing.
On Wednesday, Ban addressed a letter to Russian Ambassador to the UN Vitaly Churkin giving assurances that the UN would “expeditiously consult” with Damascus on an agreement governing how the mission will function and that there be “reasonable grounds” for its demands for access.
The Syrian government is supposed to cooperate fully with the investigators.
In a statement on Thursday, Ban said he would “without delay, undertake all steps, measures and arrangements necessary for the speedy establishment and full functioning of the [joint investigative mechanism].”
Russia also wanted the investigators to weigh in on the use of chemical weapons in Iraq by Islamic State (IS) militants. However, that would require a new resolution and the agreement of the Iraqi government.
IS is suspected of having attacked Kurdish fighters with sarin gas last month in Iraq and in northern Syria.
The US, Britain and France accuse the Syrian army of carrying out chemical attacks, including several with chlorine gas.
‘IN A DIFFERENT PLACE’: The envoy first visited Shanghai, where he attended a Chinese basketball playoff match, and is to meet top officials in Beijing tomorrow US Secretary of State Antony Blinken yesterday arrived in China on his second visit in a year as the US ramps up pressure on its rival over its support for Russia while also seeking to manage tensions with Beijing. The US diplomat tomorrow is to meet China’s top brass in Beijing, where he is also expected to plead for restraint as Taiwan inaugurates president-elect William Lai (賴清德), and to raise US concerns on Chinese trade practices. However, Blinken is also seeking to stabilize ties, with tensions between the world’s two largest economies easing since his previous visit in June last year. At the
Nearly half of China’s major cities are suffering “moderate to severe” levels of subsidence, putting millions of people at risk of flooding, especially as sea levels rise, according to a study of nationwide satellite data released yesterday. The authors of the paper, published by the journal Science, found that 45 percent of China’s urban land was sinking faster than 3mm per year, with 16 percent at more than 10mm per year, driven not only by declining water tables, but also the sheer weight of the built environment. With China’s urban population already in excess of 900 million people, “even a small portion
UNSETTLING IMAGES: The scene took place in front of TV crews covering the Trump trial, with a CNN anchor calling it an ‘emotional and unbelievably disturbing moment’ A man who doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire outside the courthouse where former US president Donald Trump is on trial has died, police said yesterday. The New York City Police Department (NYPD) said the man was declared dead by staff at an area hospital. The man was in Collect Pond Park at about 1:30pm on Friday when he took out pamphlets espousing conspiracy theories, tossed them around, then doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire, officials and witnesses said. A large number of police officers were nearby when it happened. Some officers and bystanders rushed
Beijing is continuing to commit genocide and crimes against humanity against Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities in its western Xinjiang province, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a report published on Monday, ahead of his planned visit to China this week. The State Department’s annual human rights report, which documents abuses recorded all over the world during the previous calendar year, repeated language from previous years on the treatment of Muslims in Xinjiang, but the publication raises the issue ahead of delicate talks, including on the war in Ukraine and global trade, between the top U.S. diplomat and Chinese