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Russia blocks Syria probe

West accuses Moscow of tampering with evidence on chem attack ground as UK urges 'unfettered access' for OPCW inspectors

Agencies
Western countries yesterday accused Moscow of preventing inspectors from reaching the site of a suspected poison gas attack in Syria and said Russians or Syrians may have tampered with evidence on the ground.
The United States, Britain and France launched air strikes on Saturday against what they described as three Syrian chemical weapons targets in retaliation for a suspected gas attack that killed scores of people in the Damascus suburb of Douma on April 7.
Syria and its ally Russia deny using poison gas during their offensive this month, in which they seized the town that had been the last major rebel stronghold near the capital.
Inspectors from the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) went to Syria last week to inspect the Douma site but have yet to gain access to the town, which is now under government control after the rebels withdrew.
"It is our understanding the Russians may have visited the attack site," US
Ambassador Kenneth Ward said at a meeting of the OPCW in The Hague yesterday.
" It is our concern that they may have tampered with it with the intent of thwarting the efforts of the OPCW Fact-Finding Mission to conduct an effective investigation," he said. His comments at the closed-door meeting
were obtained by Reuters.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov denied that Moscow had interfered with any evidence:" I can guarantee that Russia has not tampered with the site," he told the BBC in an interview.
Earlier, Britain's delegation to the OPCW accused Russia and the Syrian government of preventing the international watchdog's inspectors from
reaching Douma.
The inspectors aim to collect samples, interview witnesses and document evidence to determine whether banned toxic munitions were used, although they are not permitted to assign blame for the attack.
"Unfettered access is essential," the British delegation said in a statement. " Russia and Syria must cooperate. “
Moscow blamed the delay on the Western air strikes. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the British accusation that Russia was to blame for holding up the inspections was "groundless".
"We called for an objective investigation. This was at the very beginning after this information |of the attack] appeared. Therefore allegations of this towards Russia are groundless," Peskovsaid.
Meanwhile, EU foreign ministers yesterday backed "all efforts" to stop Syria using chemical weapons, after weekend strikes by Britain, France and the US, but called for renewed efforts to find a political solution to the sevenyear war, reported AFP.