Iraq News

Japan in UN bid to save Syria gas attacks probe

The UN Security Council was expected to vote, probably Friday (November 17th), on a 30-day extension of a UN-led investigation of chemical weapons attacks in Syria to allow for negotiations after Russia vetoed a renewal of the probe, AFP reported.

Japan on Thursday presented a draft resolution that would give the Joint Investigative Mechanism (JIM) another 30 days as the US and Russia work to reach a compromise on the future of the panel.

Russia earlier cast its 10th veto on Syria at the council, blocking the one-year extension of the JIM as proposed in a US-drafted resolution that won 11 votes.

A Russian-drafted resolution fell short of the nine votes required for adoption, garnering just four votes in favour.

The joint UN-Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) panel was set up by Russia and the US in 2015 and unanimously endorsed by the council, which renewed its mandate last year.

The expert team is tasked with determining who is responsible for the use of chemical weapons in Syria.

Russia has sharply criticized the JIM after its latest report blamed the Syrian regime for a sarin gas attack on the opposition-held village of Khan Sheikhun that left scores dead.

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