Moscow sees Western plot to remove Russia from UNSC

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Moscow sees a Western conspiracy aimed at removing Russia from the UN Security Council as the US joined Britain at the emergency meeting of the Council on Wednesday in blaming Russia over the nerve agent poisoning of an ex-double agent and his daughter after London expelled 23 Russian diplomats and suspended high-level contacts, including for the World Cup.

China, a permanent member of the UNSC, meanwhile expressed hope for an unbiased independent investigation of the poisoning of former Russian intelligence officer Sergei Skripal, who later became a double agent for the UK, and his daughter Yulia and trusts that the probe will operate on solid facts, Beijing’s UN envoy said at the emergency UNSC meeting.

A file photo of Russian Senator Sergey Kalashnikov. /Photo via Ria Novosti

“The West has launched a massive operation in order to kick Russia out of the UN Security Council,” Russian Senator Sergey Kalashnikov was quoted as saying by Russia’s RIA Novosti news agency. “Russia is now a very inconvenient player for the Western nations and this explains all the recent attacks on our country,” he added.

Kalashnikov felt that the US and Britain will lead efforts to reform the Security Council in the garb of escalating the current diplomatic crisis, with an aim to contain Russian influence in the UN body.

UNSC split on UK-Russia spat

Russia, as the legal successor of the USSR, along with the US, the UK, France and China has been among the five permanent members of the Security Council since its establishment in 1946.

While the US and France have expressed solidarity with Britain on the matter and come down heavily against Russia, China has taken a more measured position.

China's Ambassador to the UN Ma Zhaoxu (right) speaks to the US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley during a United Nations Security Council meeting on February 24, 2018 in New York. /VCG Photo‍

Ma Zhaoxu, the Chinese ambassador to the UN, said China hopes that "a comprehensive, objective and impartial investigation could be conducted based on facts and in accordance with relevant international rules and reach an evidence-based conclusion that can stand the test of facts and history," as reported by China’s Xinhua news agency.

"We hope relevant parties could properly handle this issue through appropriate channels," he said.

The Russian Senator’s remarks about the Western plot against Moscow came after British Prime Minister Theresa May stressed on the need for changes within the UNSC amid calls in the UK for limiting Moscow’s rights as a permanent member.

British Labour MP Chris Leslie on Wednesday urged May on UNSC reforms saying Russia was “increasingly looking like a rogue state,” Russia’s RT news network reported. “Russia can’t be allowed to simply sit pretty, thumbing its nose to the rest of the world community and feeling that it’s immune from the rule of law internationally,” Leslie said.

In response, May promised, “this is something that we will look at”.

“We do talk to the United Nations about the reform of the UN in a whole variety of ways. Of course, any decision – the Catch 22 if you like – is that any decision that might be taken in the Security Council to reform it, of course, could be subject to a veto by Russia, who are sitting there,” she said.

Shadow over World Cup?

Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May addresses the House of Commons on her government's reaction to the poisoning of former Russian intelligence officer Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia in Salisbury, in London, March 14, 2018. /VCG Photo

Earlier in the day, announcing the expulsion of 23 Russian diplomats, the British Prime Minister told the parliament that Russia had failed to respond to her demand for an explanation on how a Soviet-designed chemical, Novichok, was used in the English city of Salisbury on March 4.

Britain claims Skripal, 66, and his 33-year-old daughter were poisoned with a nerve agent from a broad category known as Novichok, which was developed by the Soviet Union during the Cold War.

"There is no alternative conclusion other than that the Russian state was culpable for the attempted murder of Mr Skripal and his daughter," May told the parliament, adding: "This represents an unlawful use of force by the Russian state against the United Kingdom."

May gave a week’s ultimatum to the Russian diplomats, believed to be intelligence officers, to leave the country. She also suspended all planned-high level contacts, including a proposed visit by Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, stopping short of breaking off diplomatic ties entirely.

The British prime minister said neither members of the royal family nor ministers will attend the FIFA World Cup in Russia later this year.

Alexei Sorokin, the chief of the World Cup organizing committee, later assured however that the boycott would not have “any impact on the quality of the tournament".

US sides with Britain, Russia rejects allegations

Russian Ambassador to the United Nations Vassily Nebenzia at the emergency meeting of the UN Security Council in New York, on March 14, 2018. /VCG Photo

At Wednesday’s emergency meeting of the UNSC in New York, Russian Ambassador to the UN Vasily Nebeznya dismissed Britain’s allegations as “completely unacceptable”.

"The Russian Federation thinks it is completely unacceptable to launch unjustified accusations as contained in the letter from Theresa May dated March 13 to the Secretary-General of the United Nations," Nebenzya said.

"We demand that material proof be provided of the allegedly found Russian trace in this high-resonance event. Without this, stating that there is incontrovertible truth is not something that we can take into account," he added.

At the meeting Washington sided firmly with Britain, rejecting Moscow's claim that it was not involved in the attack on Skripal and his daughter. "The United States believes that Russia is responsible for the attack on two people in the United Kingdom, using a military-grade nerve agent," US Ambassador Nikki Haley told the meeting held at Britain's request.

The White House also issued a statement that the US "stands in solidarity with its closest ally".

It added the incident "fits into a pattern of behavior in which Russia disregards the international rules-based order, undermines the sovereignty and security of countries worldwide, and attempts to subvert and discredit Western democratic institutions and processes".

May has spoken to US President Donald Trump, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel in recent days to rally international support.

"France's solidarity with the UK is unquestionable," the French Embassy in London said, noting two country's leaders "will discuss the matter yet again this Thursday".

Britain has also received support from its NATO allies on the issue.

In a joint statement by its 29 member states, the US-led NATO alliance said the attack was a "clear breach of international norms and agreements" and called on Russia to fully disclose details of the Novichok program.

EU Council President Donald Tusk offered his "full solidarity" and indicated the issue would be on the agenda of next week's summit in Brussels.

(With input from agencies)

[Cover Photo: A general view of the UN Security Council meeting at the UN headquarters in New York, on March 14, 2018. /Photo via United Nations]

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