Russia: Groundless claims on Syrian chemical weapons must be avoided - Lavrov

Moscow calls for avoiding groundless claims in relation to chemical weapons remaining in Syria, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said during his official visit to Kuala Lumpur on Thursday. He added that any alleged reports of chemical weapons remaining in Syria would still be double-checked. During his statement, which was published on Sunday, the top-diplomat said that there was no reason to believe that the Syrian government wouldn't continue "to closely cooperate" with other countries in solving the question. Much of the achievements made over Syria's chemical weapons were forged between representatives of the US, Russia, and Syria, at the headquarters of The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) in the Hague. Lavrov's statement comes as the UN Security Council unanimously agreed to launch a Joint Investigative Mechanism to find the culprits who employed chemical weapons in Syria. The council approved the resolution, Friday, calling on the UN Secretary-General together with the Director-General of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) to submit a proposal to the Security Council on the formation of the Joint Investigative Mechanism in the next 20 days. The mechanism is tasked to establish which government, entities or individuals are responsible for the use of chlorine and other chemical weapons in Syria for a year but the investigation can be extended if need be. The resolution expects the Syrian government to "cooperate fully" and insists that those found responsible must be held accountable.