Russia has dismissed a UN inquiry report blaming the Syrian government for a deadly chemical attack. Moscow's move raises serious questions over whether the UN mandate for the investigative task force will be renewed.
Image: Reuters/A. Abdullah
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Russia on Tuesday clashed with western powers over the findings of a joint-inquiry report published by UN and the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) into April's deadly toxic gas attack in the Syrian town of Khan Sheikhoun.
Russia's UN delegation, however, dismissed the findings as "mythical or invented" and criticized the task force's research methodology.
Moscow's refusal to recognize the findings raises serious doubts over whether the investigative task force's mandate will be extended before it expires next week. Last month, Russia, Syria's most important ally, vetoed an initial US bid to renew the mandate for the UN/OPCW expert body, known as the Joint Investigative Mechanism (JIM). The Russian delegation said it instead wanted to wait until the release of the report before making a decision.
Since then, Russia has also offered its own draft resolution, which, according to Russia's deputy UN Ambassador Vladimir Safronkov, would remedy "errors and systemic problems" associated with the investigation. "Without a comprehensive change it will become a tool to settle accounts with the Syrian authorities," Safronkov on Tuesday told the 15-member UN Security Council.
For a new resolution to pass, it needs to garner at least nine votes from the 15-member security council, and no vetoes from the five permanent members — the United Kingdom, China, France, Russia and US.
US, UK condemn Russia's rejections
Nikki Haley, the US ambassador to the United Nations, stressed that there was no greater priority for the Security Council than to extend the JIM mandate, adding that "anyone who prevents us from achieving this goal is aiding and abetting those who have been using chemical weapons."
Who's fighting in the Syria conflict?
Syria's civil war erupted out of the Arab Spring protests that swept much of the Middle East and North Africa in 2011. The conflict has since drawn in multiple warring factions from around the world.
Image: Atta Kenare/AFP/Getty Images
War with no end
Syria has been engulfed in a devastating civil war since 2011 after Syrian President Bashar Assad lost control over large parts of the country to multiple revolutionary groups. The conflict has since drawn in foreign powers and brought misery and death to Syrians.
Image: picture alliance/abaca/A. Al-Bushy
The dictator
Syria's army, officially known as the Syrian Arab Army (SAA), is loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and is fighting to restore the president's rule over the entire country. The SAA has been fighting alongside a number of pro-Assad militias such as the National Defense Force and has cooperated with military advisors from Russia and Iran, which back Assad.
Turkey, which is also part of the US-led coalition against IS, has actively supported rebels opposed to Assad. It has a tense relationship with its American allies over US cooperation with Kurdish fighters, who Ankara says are linked to the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) fighting in Turkey. Turkey has launched multiple military offensives targeting Kurdish militias.
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo/L. Pitarakis
The eastern guardian
The Kremlin has proven to be a powerful friend to Assad. Russian air power and ground troops officially joined the fight in September 2015 after years of supplying the Syrian army. Moscow has come under fire from the international community for the high number of civilian casualties during its airstrikes. However, Russia's intervention turned the tide in war in favor of Assad.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/Tass/M. Metzel
The western allies
A US-led coalition of more than 50 countries, including Germany, began targeting IS and other terrorist targets with airstrikes in late 2014. The anti-IS coalition has dealt major setbacks to the militant group. The US has more than a thousand special forces in the country backing the Syrian Democratic Forces.
Image: picture alliance/AP Photo/A.Brandon
The rebels
The Free Syrian Army grew out of protests against the Assad regime that eventually turned violent. Along with other non-jihadist rebel groups, it seeks the ouster of President Assad and democratic elections. After suffering a number of defeats, many of its members defected to hardline militant groups. It garnered some support from the US and Turkey, but its strength has been greatly diminished.
Image: Reuters
The resistance
Fighting between Syrian Kurds and Islamists has become its own conflict. The US-led coalition against the "Islamic State" has backed the Syrian Democratic Forces, an alliance of Kurdish and Arab militias. The Kurdish YPG militia is the main component of the SDF. The Kurds have had a tacit understanding with Assad.
Image: Getty Images/A. Sik
The new jihadists
"Islamic State" (IS) took advantage of regional chaos to capture vast swathes of territory in Iraq and Syria in 2014. Seeking to establish its own "caliphate," IS has become infamous for its fundamentalist brand of Islam and its mass atrocities. IS is on the brink of defeat after the US and Russia led separate military campaigns against the militant group.
Image: picture alliance/AP Photo
The old jihadists
IS is not the only terrorist group that has ravaged Syria. A number of jihadist militant groups are fighting in the conflict, warring against various rebel factions and the Assad regime. One of the main jihadist factions is Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham, which controls most of Idlib province and has ties with al-Qaeda.
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo/Nusra Front on Twitter
The Persian shadow
Iran has supported Syria, its only Arab ally, for decades. Eager to maintain its ally, Tehran has provided Damascus with strategic assistance, military training and ground troops when the conflict emerged in 2011. The Iran-backed Lebanese Shiite militant group Hezbollah also supports the Assad regime, fighting alongside Iranian forces and paramilitary groups in the country.
Image: Atta Kenare/AFP/Getty Images
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Of the Russian government's refusal to recognize the report's findings and renew the investigative task force's mandate, Haley said: "They are helping to ensure, not just that more women and children will die, but that those women and children will die in one of the cruelest, most painful ways possible."
Deputy British UN Ambassador Jonathan Allen, meanwhile, told the Security Council that "Russia is trying to shoot the messenger to cover up for the crimes of the Syrian regime."
Russia's alternative draft resolution, Allen later told reporters "has very little if any support in the council and no realistic prospects of success."
Task force head denies report was politically motivated
"I understand the political issues surrounding the situation in the Syrian Arab Republic - however, this is not a political issue but an issue about the lives of innocent victims," Mulet said.
Mulet maintained that the investigative committee "actively pursued unbiased evidence" and employed independent forensic specialists from the OPCW. Overall, the JIM reportedly examined 2,247 photos, 1,284 files of video footage, 120 audio files and 639 documents.
The JIM found nothing to prove the incident had been staged by the opposition to frame the Syrian government, Mulet said, "and when I say nothing, I mean nothing."
