Britain Accuses Russia Of "Despicable" Stunt After "Staged" Gas Attack Claims

Britain and France have angrily accused Russia of a "despicable" stunt after Moscow brought a series of alleged witnesses to what it claims was a "staged" Syrian gas attack before the international chemical weapons watchdog.

Russian and Syrian officials held a briefing at The Hague headquarters of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) where they produced a number of Syrians who, they said, appeared in a video of the suspected attack on the rebel-held town of Douma on 7 April.

The Kremlin claims the incident - which led the US, Britain and France to launch punitive missile strikes against a series of Syria regime targets - was faked by the White Helmets search and rescue group.

Britain's ambassador to the OPCW, Peter Wilson, who boycotted the briefing along with other Western allies, said it was a deliberate attempt by the Russians to undermine the work of OPCW inspectors who are trying to establish what happened in Douma.

He strongly condemned the Russian description of Syrians who appeared in the video footage as "unwitting comedians" and said reports of widespread intimidation of witnesses to the incident were a matter of "real concern".

Britain has said up to 75 people died in the incident which it and other Western powers blame on the regime of President Bashar Assad.

Mr Wilson said:

"The OPCW is not a theatre."

"Russia's decision to misuse it is yet another Russian attempt to undermine the OPCW's work, and in particular the work of its fact-finding mission investigating chemical weapons use in Syria.

"Describing chemical weapons victims as 'comedians' is despicable.

“It shows the utter disregard Russia and Syria have for the suffering of the Syrian people, and indeed the global norm against chemical weapons use.

"The director general (of the OPCW) has asked states to supply information about the Douma attack to his fact-finding mission.

“Russia and Syria should do so, instead of waging a propaganda campaign of misinformation."

His comments were echoed by the French ambassador to the Netherlands, Philippe Lalliot, who said:

"This obscene masquerade does not come as a surprise from the Syrian government, which has massacred and gassed its own people for the last seven years."