Russia loses bid to join OPCW investigation into Salisbury poisoning
Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson brands the proposal "ludicrous", while Moscow demands a UN Security Council meeting.
Wednesday 4 April 2018 22:13, UK
Russia has lost a bid to be included in the international chemical watchdog's investigation into the Salisbury nerve agent attack.
Fifteen countries voted against the proposal, while six voted for it and 17 abstained.
Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson called it a "ludicrous proposal" designed to "undermine" the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) investigation into the poisoning of Sergei and Yulia Skripal.
He said: "Russia has had one goal in mind since the attempted murders on UK soil through the use of a military-grade chemical weapon - to obscure the truth and confuse the public.
"The international community has yet again seen through these tactics and robustly defeated Russia's attempts today to derail the proper international process."
Mr Johnson added that "none of us have forgotten" it marked a year since a "barbaric" chemical weapons attack in Syria.
"After the OPCW-UN investigation found that the Syrian regime was responsible, Russia blocked that body from doing any more work," he said.
The vote on the investigation came in an emergency session at The Hague on Wednesday, called by Vladimir Putin.
"Unfortunately, we haven't been able to have two-thirds of the votes in support of that decision. A qualified majority was needed," Russian ambassador Alexander Shulgin told reporters.
"Russia as well as other states that are members of the Executive Committee have been pushed aside from this investigation.
"They tell us that they can inform us of the results of this investigation ... only with the good will of Great Britain.
"But, knowing how our so-called partners have conducted themselves, we are not going to count on their good will."
Russia has also asked for an urgent meeting of the UN Security Council on Thursday.
It wants to discuss a letter sent by Prime Minister Theresa May to the Council that said it was "highly likely" Moscow was behind the nerve agent attack in Wiltshire last month.
While the international feud brewed, Mr Johnson faced scrutiny at home for an interview he gave two weeks ago on the novichok nerve agent.
He appeared to say Porton Down chiefs had told him there was "no doubt" the substance came from Russia.
But the military research laboratory's chief executive told Sky News on Tuesday that they had not yet identified its "precise source".
A statement from the Foreign Office clarified Mr Johnson "was making clear that Porton Down were sure it was a novichok - a point they have reinforced".
Labour has called for the Foreign Secretary to face an investigation into whether he broke the ministerial code.
The Foreign Office also admitted to deleting a tweet that said the poison used on a former double agent and his daughter was "produced in Russia".