Syria and Russia on Wednesday accused the United States of lying about chemical weapons attacks in the Syrian conflict as a way of derailing efforts to bring an end to the fighting.
Syria’s Foreign Ministry in a statement said that claims by the United States and France that it was still using chemical weapons were “lies”, Reuters reported.
On Tuesday, US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said the Syrian government may still be using chemical weapons, following a suspected chlorine attack in the militant-held enclave of Eastern Ghouta on Monday.
Tillerson said Moscow “ultimately bears responsibility for the victims” of the new suspected chemical attack.
Syria’s Foreign Ministry added that such claims were aimed at “obstructing any effort toward finding a way out of the crisis in Syria”.
“Syria has always shown cooperation and provided the conditions necessary for an impartial, objective and professional investigation into the use of chemical weapons,” SANA said, adding that “the West” had hindered this process for political aims.
In 2013, Syria said it would give up all of its chemical weapons.
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov also on Wednesday accused the United States of promoting unverified reports about alleged chemical weapons attacks in Syria in order to cloud Russia’s peace initiatives, AP reported.
Russia is hosting Syria peace talks in the Black Sea resort of Sochi next week.
Russian President Vladimir Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov also accused Washington of trying to complicate international efforts to probe the use of chemical weapons in Syria and rejected accusations it was responsible for recent attacks.
“We categorically disagree with the approach of the Americans who have essentially muddied the real investigation of previous instances” of Syria chemical attacks, Peskov said.
Peskov said US officials were jumping to conclusions “without any grounds whatsoever.”
Tillerson made the charges against Russia on Tuesday as diplomats from 29 countries met in Paris to push for sanctions and criminal charges against the perpetrators of chemical attacks in Syria.
“Only yesterday more than 20 civilians, most of them children, were victims of an apparent chlorine gas attack,” Tillerson said.
“Whoever conducted the attacks, Russia ultimately bears responsibility for the victims in East Ghouta and countless other Syrians targeted with chemical weapons, since Russia became involved in Syria.”
After hundreds were killed in attacks near Damascus in August 2013, a landmark deal with Russia was struck to rid Syria of its chemical weapons stash, staving off US airstrikes.
Despite the agreement, chemical attacks have continued.