The risk of use of chemical weapons by terrorists in Libya, Yemen increasing - Lavrov

GENEVA, March 1. /TASS/. Chemical terrorism is becoming a grim reality of our days, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Tuesday speaking at the Conference on Disarmament (CD). "The risk of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) falling into the hands of non-state actors is universally recognized. A lot has been done to counter it," Lavrov said. "An important step in this direction was the passing of Resolution 1540 of the UN Security Council in 2004. A year later, at the initiative of Russia, the International Convention for the Suppression of Acts of Nuclear Terrorism was concluded. However, there are still serious gaps in this area relating in particular to the use of chemicals for terrorist purposes." The problem is becoming "extremely pressing in the light of emerging evidence confirming the repeated use of not only toxic industrial chemicals but also full-fledged chemical warfare agents by gunmen of the Islamic State (IS terrorist group outlawed in Russia -TASS) and other terrorist groups in Syria and Iraq." "The risk of similar crimes in Libya and Yemen is increasing," the minister said. "Such activities of non-state actors in the Middle East and North Africa are becoming more widespread, systematic and transboundary threatening to extend far beyond the region," Lavrov said. "There is information about terrorist groups getting access to scientific and technical documentation for the production of chemical weapons, seizing chemical enterprises with the appropriate equipment and using foreign experts in mastering the synthesis of chemical warfare agents." According to Russia’s top diplomat, the incidents in Syria’s Marea City in August and September 2015, where Islamic State gunmen used artillery shells stuffed with a full-fledged chemical warfare agent - mustard gas - point to the extreme urgency of the situation. "All this leaves no room for doubt that chemical terrorism is becoming not just an abstract threat but a harsh reality of our days, which can and should be stopped by intensifying serious work on international venues," Lavrov said. Read more