Lavrov Urges 'Open and Transparent' Investigation of Idlib Chemical Incident

The Russian foreign minister called for a professional and transparent investigation of the Idlib chemical incident.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — An investigation of a reported chemical weapons incident in Syria's Idlib province should be open and transparent, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said at an international security conference Wednesday.

"Provocations like those that occurred in Khan Shaykhoun on April 4 require a professional investigation under the auspices of the OPCW, on a geographically balanced basis, and such an investigation should be open and transparent," Lavrov said.

On April 4, the National Coalition for Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces claimed that 80 people were killed and 200 injured in a suspected chemical attack in Khan Sheikhoun, blaming the Syrian government. Damascus vehemently rejected the accusations and said militants and their allies were responsible.

Early April 7, the United States launched 59 Tomahawk cruise missiles at the Syrian military airfield in Ash Sha’irat, located about 40 kilometers (25 miles) from the city of Homs. US President Donald Trump said the attack was a response to the alleged chemical weapon use in Syria's Idlib, which Washington blames on the Syrian government. Russia described the attack as an aggression against a sovereign state.

Earlier, the Russian Foreign Ministry reminded the Trump administration that all chemical weapons had been taken out of Syria in mid-2014 with the help of the previous administration of ex-president Barack Obama.

Syrian President Bashar Assad said in an interview with Sputnik that Western states are blocking attempts to investigate the Idlib chemical incident because in the event of a probe it will be established that the "attack" was a false flag and lie.

The OPCW announced in January 2016 that Syria’s weapons arsenal had been destroyed in accordance with an agreement reached after the 2013 Ghouta attack.