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WORLD NEWS Saturday 19 March 2022

West accuses Russia of using UN council to spread propaganda

By EDITH M. LEDERER such biological weapons
Associated Press program" and has no man-
UNITED NATIONS (AP) — Six date to investigate the Rus-
Western nations accused sian claims.
Russia of using the U.N. Russia's Nebenzia called
Security Council to laun- the material it released on
der disinformation, spread March 11 and on Friday
propaganda and justify "only the tip of the iceberg."
an unprovoked attack on He said the Ministry of De-
Ukraine on Friday, and the fense is receiving and ana-
United States again warned lyzing more new material
that Moscow's claim the and will continue to keep
U.S. has biological warfare the Security Council and
laboratories in Ukraine "is the international communi-
really a potential false flag ty informed "about the un-
effort in action." lawful activity carried out
The meeting was origi- by the Pentagon on Ukrai-
nally intended for a vote nian territory."
on Russia's draft resolution Russia presented its draft
on humanitarian relief for humanitarian resolution
Ukraine, which has been on Tuesday, a day after
widely criticized for making France and Mexico an-
no mention of Moscow's in- nounced that their own
vasion of its neighbor. But humanitarian resolution on
Russia canceled the vote Russia's ambassador Vasily Nebenzya speaks at the end of a meeting of the United Nations Secu- Ukraine was being moved
Thursday and announced rity Council at U.N. headquarters, Friday, March 18, 2022. from the Security Coun-
it would use the meet- Associated Press cil, where it was certain to
ing instead to raise what it face a Russian veto, to the
called new allegations of had to cancel Friday's vote. nian people." "Put simply the Ukraine au- 193-member General As-
U.S. involvement in biologi- The resolution would have Nebenzia responded by thorities gave the Penta- sembly, where there are no
cal warfare activities. Those needed at least nine "yes" calling accusations that gon carte blanche on the vetoes.
have been repeatedly de- votes in the 15-member Russia intends to deploy territory of Ukraine to carry The France-Mexico draft
nied by both the United council and no veto by biological and chemical out dangerous biological resolution would demand
States and Ukraine. a permanent member to weapons against Ukraine experiments there," Neben- "an immediate cessation
The six Western nations -- be approved. Russia's U.N. "real cynicism." zia asserted. of hostilities" and deplore
U.S., UK, France, Albania, Ambassador Vassily Ne- "We've already warned Ukraine does own and op- "the dire humanitarian con-
Ireland and Norway -- deliv- benzia indicated it didn't about the fact that we erate a network of biologi- sequences of the hostilities
ered a joint statement just have the votes, accusing know, and we officially cal labs that have gotten against Ukraine," provisions
before the session saying: the West, and especially warned ... about Ukrainian funding and research sup- not in the Russian resolu-
"This meeting and these lies the U.S. and Albania, on nationalists using chemi- port from the U.S. They are tion.
are designed for one pur- Thursday of using "unprec- cal agents in some regions part of an initiative called French Ambassador Nico-
pose, to deflect responsibil- edented pressure" on U.N. to carry out a provocation the Biological Threat Re- las De Riviere told reporters
ity for Russia's war of choice member nations to oppose and then accuse Russia of duction Program that aims Thursday the resolution will
and the humanitarian ca- the measure. having done it," he said. to reduce the likelihood of be presented to the Gener-
tastrophe it has caused." On Friday, Thomas-Green- "This is a false flag opera- deadly outbreaks, wheth- al Assembly next week. Brit-
They said that Russia, not field reiterated what she tion." er natural or manmade. ain's Woodward expressed
Ukraine, has long main- told the council at a March Last week, Nebenzia said The U.S. efforts date back hope that it would get
tained a biological weap- 11 session called by Rus- Russia's Defense Ministry to work in the 1990s to dis- more than the 141 votes re-
ons program in violation of sia on its original bioweap- has documents charging mantle the former Soviet ceived by a March 2 reso-
international law and has a ons allegations: "Ukraine that Ukraine has at least Union's program for weap- lution demanding an im-
well-documented history of does not have a biological 30 biological laboratories ons of mass destruction. mediate halt to Moscow's
using chemical weapons. weapons program. There carrying out "very danger- "The labs are not secret," offensive against Ukraine
And they accused Russia are no Ukrainian biological ous biological experiments" Filippa Lentzos, a senior lec- and withdrawal of all Rus-
of abusing its responsibilities weapons laboratories -- not involving pathogens, and turer in science and inter- sian troops.q
and privileges as a perma- near Russia's border, not the work "is being done and national security at King's
nent member of the Secu- anywhere." funded and supervised by College London, said in an ARUBA
rity Council and subverting Ukraine only has public the Defense Threat Reduc- email to The Associated
the council's mandate to health facilities supported tion Agency of the United Press last week. "They are CLEAN
ensure international peace by the United States, the States." not being used in relation
and security, calling its "hor- World Health Organization, He circulated a 69-page to bioweapons. This is all
rific campaign of violence and other governments document to council disinformation."
against the Ukrainian peo- and international institu- members at Friday's meet- Britain's U.N. Ambassador
ple ... deeply shameful." tions, she said. ing and claimed that the Barbara Woodward, refer-
U.S. Ambassador Linda Reiterating the Biden ad- Ministry of Defense had ring to the March 11 meet-
Thomas-Greenfield, who ministration's concern received new details over ing called by Russia, said Fri-
read the joint statement, about a potential false flag the last week "which allow day: "It was nonsense then,
later told the Security Coun- effort, Thomas-Greenfield us to state that the compo- and it is nonsense now."
cil not to forget why they said, "We continue to be- nents for biological weap- U.N. disarmament chief
were meeting — "because lieve it is possible that Rus- ons were being created on Izumi Nakamitsu reiterated
Russia knew its cynical ploy sia may be planning to the territory of Ukraine" to what she told the council IS MORE
to pass an exculpatory res- use chemical or biological implement a 2005 Ameri- last week: The United Na-
olution had failed" and it agents against the Ukrai- can-Ukrainian agreement. tions is not aware of any DUSHI