US has informed UN of decision to expel Russian diplomats
UNITED NATIONS, (MILLAT ONLINE):A United Nations spokesman has confirmed that the world body was informed of United States’ decision to expel 12 diplomats serving the Russian mission to the UN.
“I can confirm that the United States Mission to the United Nations informed the Secretariat of its decision to take action under Section 13(b) of the UN-US Headquarters Agreement with respect to certain members of the Permanent Mission of the Russian Federation to the United Nations,” Deputy UN Spokesman Farhan Haq told reporters at the daily press briefing on Monday.
“This action may require those members to leave the country,” he added.
“Given the sensitivity of the matter, which is ongoing, we will not comment further at this stage other than to confirm that the Secretary-General will closely follow this matter and engage as appropriate with the Governments concerned,” he said.
He declined to answer any questions that would involve any detail of the matter, including whether the United Nations has been given the names of the 12 diplomats to be expelled.
News reports suggest that the US Administration on Monday ordered the expulsion of 60 Russians from the US, following similar actions taken by other countries in the wake of the allegation by the United Kingdom that Russia was behind an attack using a deadly nerve-agent in Salisbury on 4 March, which left Sergei Skripal and his daughter, Yulia, hospitalized in critical condition.
On 14 March, the UK brought the charge before an urgent meeting of the UN Security Council, where US Ambassador Nikki Haley said that the US stood in solidarity with the UK in denouncing the “crime” and believed Russia had been responsible for the attack.
At the same meeting, both Russia and the United Kingdom said the incident should be investigated by the Hague-based Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), the UN-backed body which works to implement the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) and eliminate chemical weapons use, and the threat of their use.
The UK Foreign Ministry announced later that independent investigators from the OPCW were due to arrive in the UK on Monday, 19 March to kick off their probe into the nerve agent used in the Salisbury attack.