Moscow, SANA – Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov called for forming a specialized team of experts to investigate the alleged use of chemical weapons in Khan Shaikhoun in Idleb countryside that includes experts from the Russian Federation.

“The situation in Syria was one of the key issues at the meeting with US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson. We, as it seemed to me, gave him rather convincing reasons for launching a special independent investigation based on the bodies created in the UN and the OPCW,” Lavrov said during a press conference on Thursday with his Bangladeshi counterpart.

“Moscow suggested involving in this effort experts and professionals from Western countries, Russia and countries of the region,” he said.

“It seemed to me that Tillerson had a positive view on this idea and promised to work on it,” Lavrov said. “We even said that Russia jointly with the US should put forward this initiative. But he was not ready for this,” he added.

“We are very alarmed by the desire of foreign partners in the UN Security Council to make every effort to avoid a fair investigation into this incident,” Lavrov said.

“Today, the Executive Council of the OPCW is holding an emergency meeting in The Hague, and we submitted our proposal there on forming such a delegation on the basis of this organization involving extra inspectors,” he said.

Lavrov expressed his hope that this delegation will visit the airport, which was hit by US missile strikes, as well as the town of Khan Shaikhoun, where it was allegedly exposed to chemical attack.

M. al-Frieh/H. Said