Russia opposed to short U.N. extension of Syria inquiry: diplomats

Thomson Reuters

By Michelle Nichols

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - Russia is opposed to a Japanese-drafted United Nations Security council resolution to renew for one month an international inquiry into chemical weapons attacks in Syria, several council diplomats said on Friday.

As closed-door negotiations got under way on the draft text, Russia told its counterparts on the 15-member council that it could not accept the draft resolution, did not want the body to show false unity and did not want to waste everyone's time, said the diplomats, speaking on condition of anonymity.

A resolution needs nine votes in favor and no vetoes by the United States, France, Russia, Britain or China to be adopted.

Russia vetoed on Thursday a U.S.-drafted resolution to renew the joint inquiry by the U.N. and the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), which found that the Syrian government used the banned nerve agent sarin in an April 4 attack. The inquiry's mandate expires on Friday.

The council also voted on a Russian-drafted resolution on Thursday to renew the inquiry, but it failed after only receiving four votes in favor.

(Reporting by Michelle Nichols; Editing by Phil Berlowitz)

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