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In
Salisbury
Fall-Out, US
Speaks from
DC, UK on
1984, Nebenzia
Through The
Looking Glass
By Matthew
Russell Lee, Video,
Photo
UNITED NATIONS,
April 18 – Back on March 14
after UK Prime Minster Theresa
wrote a "Dear Antonio" letter
to UN Secretary General Antonio
Guterres about the poisoning in
Salisbury of Sergey Skripal and
his daughter, also injuring a
policeman, a UN Security Council
meeting was set for 3 pm, see
below.
On April
18 another
meeting was
held, at which
Russian Ambassador Vassily
Nebenzia
(photo here;
Nikki
Haley here)
referred to
Alice, Through
the Looking
Glass, while
the UK's Karen
Pierce cited
Orwell's
1984.
Afterward the
US State
Department
issued this:
"Today, the UN
Security
Council and
the Executive
Council of the
Organization
for the
Prohibition of
Chemical
Weapons (OPCW)
met to discuss
the OPCW’s
recent
findings
related to the
March 4 use of
a
military-grade
nerve agent in
Salisbury, UK.
The OPCW’s
independent
report,
released last
week, confirms
the UK lab
analysis
regarding the
identity of
the chemical
used in
Salisbury.
We applaud the
OPCW’s
expeditious
support and
technical
efforts to
uncover the
facts.
We fully
support the UK
and the need
for today’s
special
meetings of
the OPCW
Executive
Council and
the UN
Security
Council to
discuss the
chemical
weapons attack
in Salisbury
and the OPCW’s
detailed
independent
analysis.
As we have
made clear,
the United
States agrees
with the UK’s
assessment
that Russia is
responsible
for this use
of chemical
weapons on UK
soil– either
through
deliberate use
or through its
failure to
declare and
secure its
stocks of this
nerve agent.
Only the
Government of
Russia has the
motive, means,
and record to
conduct such
an
attack.
Russia
developed the
type of
military-grade
nerve agent
used in
Salisbury and
has a record
of conducting
state-sponsored
assassinations.
Rather than
changing its
harmful and
destructive
behavior, the
Russian
government
offers only
denials and
counteraccusations
to deflect
attention from
its
culpability.
The United
States
condemns the
use of
chemical
weapons
anywhere,
anytime, by
anyone, under
any
circumstances.
We urge our
colleagues on
the UN
Security
Council and
the OPCW
Executive
Council to
join us, as
they have
before, to
create a
unified front
against the
use of
chemical
weapons.
We cannot
allow the
normalization
of chemical
weapons use." On
April 5
another
meeting was
held, complete
with Russian
Ambassador
Vassily
Nebenzia
quoting in the
Council from
Alice in
Wonderland,
and UK
Ambassador
Karen Pierce
musing before
the meeting if
Nebenzia is
similar to
Moriarty in
Sherlock
Holmes (and
noting the
Russian actor
who played
Sherlock
Holmes, Visily
Livanov.)
Inner City Press asked Pierce,
"Is the UK calling on any other
countries to expel diplomats?
Some have wondered about other
countries like Japan for
example. Do you think there will
be another round of expulsions?"
Pierce replied, " I’ll
start with your Japan question.
We are very grateful for a
number of allies and partners
who have joined us in taking
measures against Russian
intelligence officers. At the
moment I am not able to confirm
what the next steps will be but
it is something we keep under
review and we delegate a lot of
time talking to our friends and
partners on this."
After the meeting, after
Nebenzia said "I rest my case,"
Inner City Press asked him if HE
expects more expulsions, for
example from Japan. "No," he
said. And when Inner City Press
subsequently asked Pierce is she
is wrong she declined to
comment.
In Japan, pro-Abe media Sankei
Shimbun for one has published
questions about why Japan did
not join the EU, Canada and
others in that round of
expulsions. But they are not
pursuing the question at the UN.
In fact, they are nowhere to be
seen. Watch this site.
***
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