Sputnik News- The mission of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) to investigate the alleged chemical attack in Syria's Idlib province should include representatives of all the UN Security Council members, as well as the guarantor countries of the ceasefire - Iran and Turkey, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov told Sputnik.
MOSCOW (Sputnik) Earlier inthe day, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that Russian and Western experts should be part ofa team investigating the reported April 4 chemical attack inSyria's Idlib province.
The mission "should include specialists fromall countries that can realistically assess the developments, study the place. These are all permanent members ofthe UN Security Council, a number ofother countries, including the states withwhich we jointly act asguarantors ofthe Astana process Turkey, Iran and many others," Ryabkov said.
Syrian opposition claimed onApril 4 forces loyal toPresident Bashar Assad had used a chemical gas onpeople inthe northwestern province, killing nearly 80 and injuring 200. Assad argued his government has no chemical weapons afteragreeing tohave them destroyed in2013. He also ruled outhaving used chemicals againstown people.
The Russian Defense Ministry said next day that the airstrike nearKhan Shaykhun was carried outby Syrian aircraft, which struck a terrorist warehouse that stored chemical weapons slated fordelivery toIraq.