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Russia’s proposal for a new, joint investigation into the poisoning of an ex-spy and his daughter in England has been voted down at the international chemical weapons watchdog at The Hague.
Russia has accused Britain of blocking access to an investigation being carried out by the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW).
Britain earlier said Russia’s call for an inquiry with the UK was “perverse”. Russia lost the vote by 15 votes to six, while 17 member states abstained. China, Azerbaijan, Sudan, Algeria and Iran were among the countries that backed Russia’s motion at the OPCW executive council, Reuters reported.
Russia called the meeting to challenge the UK, which has blamed Moscow for the March 4 poisoning of Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia in Salisbury, southern England. Russia has strongly denied any involvement and in a press conference after the vote said it had reason to believe what happened in Salisbury was a “terrorist attack”.
It strongly criticised the US and EU countries for siding with the UK.
At the meeting, UK acting representative John Foggo had said the victim of a chemical weapons’ attack was not required to work with the “likely perpetrator”.
The British government says a military-grade Novichok nerve agent of a type developed by Russia was used in the attack.
