The Great Smoky Mountain Journal
Source:
Tuesday, January 01, 2019 02:45 PM
Daughter Of Ex-Russian Spy Poisoned By Krelin Says She's Gaining Strength Daily
Britain has blamed Russia for the poisoning using a military grade nerve agent. In response, more than two dozen Western allies including Britain, the U.S. and NATO have ordered out over 150 Russian diplomats in a show of solidarity.
Russia's top diplomat on Thursday described the British accusations against Moscow over the nerve agent poisoning of an ex-spy as a mockery of international law and said Russia will push to find out the truth.
Moscow has fiercely denied its involvement in the nerve agent attack and expelled an equal number of envoys. The diplomatic turmoil has hit lows unseen even at the height of the Cold War.
U.K. authorities identified the highest concentration of the nerve agent at the front door of the Skripal's house.Video
Police: Russian ex-spy encountered nerve agent at front door
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov insisted that the poisoning case was fabricated by Britain to "demonize" Russia.
"The so-called Skripal case has been used as a fictitious, orchestrated pretext for the unfounded massive expulsions of Russian diplomats not only from the U.S. and Britain but also from a number of other countries who simply had their arms twisted," Lavrov said at a conference in Moscow. "We have never seen such an open mockery of the international law, diplomatic ethics and elementary decorum."
On Wednesday, Russia called a meeting of the international chemical weapons watchdog to demand a joint investigation with Britain into the poisoning — the demand that London has rejected.
The Hague-based Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) voted against the Russian proposal, but Moscow said the number of countries that abstained from the vote suggested many have doubts about Britain's accusations.
World leaders condemn Russia in nerve gas attack on British soil. Businessman Bill Browder speaks out on 'Journal Editorial Report.'Video
Former Putin target on why Russia is behind spy poisoning
"It's unacceptable to make unfounded accusations instead of conducting a fair investigation and providing concrete facts," Lavrov said. "Yesterday's debate in The Hague showed that self-respecting adults don't believe in fairy tales."
British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson said Wednesday that "the purpose of Russia's ludicrous proposal at The Hague was clear — to undermine the independent, impartial work of the international chemical weapons watchdog."
The Associated Press contributed to this report.