Russian Diplomat Urges Anti-Chemical Terrorism Procedures

MOSCOW, (ST)- Director of the Russian Foreign Ministry’s Department on Non-Proliferation and Arms Control Mikhail Ulyanov has stressed the need to hurry in adopting some procedures at the regional and international levels against what is called chemical terrorism.

In a statement to Sputnik news agency, Ulyanov said yesterday news about “ISIS” using chemical weapon in Iraq against Iraqi and American soldiers might be true. He said the news were close to the truth because ISIS had repeatedly used chemical weapon in Syria and Iraq; facts that necessitate adopting immediate anti-chemical terrorism procedures not only in Syria and Iraq, but also in the entire world.

 On Thursday, CNN cited several US officials as saying that ISIS was suspected of firing a shell with mustard agent that landed at the Qayyara air base in Iraq Tuesday where US and Iraqi troops are operating.

The shell was categorized by officials as either a rocket or artillery shell. After it landed on the base, just south of Mosul, US troops tested it and received an initial reading for a chemical agent they believe is mustard.

Last February, CIA Chief John Brinan acknowledged that ISIS used chemical agents including Chlorine and Mustard gases several times in attacks in Syria and Iraq . Other US sources announced, based on documented evidence, that the terrorist organization carried out attacks with sulfur mustard gas against the Syrian town of Mare and an Iraqi area.

However, Ulyanov pointed out, Washington doesn’t intend to focus on the chemical attack which targeted its soldiers in Iraq, rather it insists to focus on associating the chemical issue with Syria.

“It seems that the United States want the focus to be made on the Syrian government and they are ready to ignore the crimes being committed by ISIS against its soldiers in Iraq,” the Russian diplomat said.

 “I hope the latest ISIS chemical attack in Iraq will push Washington to adopt an evident stance on the chemical terrorism issue,” he added.

Syria’s Permanent Representative at the United Nations Bashar Al-Jaafari said in an interview with al-Mayadeen TV last month that  the chemical issue was fabricated especially to be used against the Syrian government and that there were many gaps in the Security Council report on the issue of using chemical weapons in Syria.

Hamda Mustafa