“There is no requirement in the chemical weapons convention for a victim to engage a likely perpetrator in a joint investigation,” he said. The OPCW is the internationally recognised body responsible for overseeing the 1997 chemical weapons convention, and has been testing samples provided by British scientists and taken from the Skripals. Russia insists it destroyed its entire chemical weapons stock. If the dispute over the nature of the Salisbury nerve agent reaches deadlock, Russia could withdraw from the OPCW, which would be a severe blow to global efforts to control chemical weapons. Russia has already challenged OPCW findings about Syrian government responsibility for chemical weapons attacks on Syrian civilians.

Source: The Guardian April 04, 2018 08:14 UTC