Russia's UN Resolution Obliges Experts to Visit Chemical Attacks Sites

UNITED NATIONS (Sputnik) - Russia's draft resolution on the creation of the United Nations Independent Mechanism of Investigation stipulates that the UN experts will have to visit the sites of chemical attacks in order to collect the evidence about the incidents there.

"Decides that the UNIMI in conducting its investigations must be guided by high standards established by the CWC [Chemical Weapons Convention] and, accordingly, use the whole spectrum of relevant methods envisaged in the above-mentioned Convention and in particular Part XI of its Annex on Implementation and Verification, which includes investigation, sampling, interviewing witnesses and collection of evidence and information on the site of an incident," the text of the draft resolution said.

Earlier, Russian Envoy to the UN Vassily Nebenzia said that Russia requested that the United Nations Security Council hold an open meeting on the use of chemical weapons in Syria because of the gravity of the issue, noting that the draft resolution is designed to reunite a divided United Nations Security Council.

"We need to delve into dialogue and we need to attempt to reunite the council's unity that has been eroded, this must be rebuilt. And this is the thrust of our proposal," Nebenzia said.

He has also said that the consultations at the UN Security Council on the draft resolution might be held on Thursday or Friday.