Page 8 - ARUBA TODAY

A8 WORLD NEWS
Friday 16 March 2018

US, France, Germany join UK in blaming Russia for spy attack

By JILL LAWLESS said it "certainly looks like
V. ISACHENKOV the Russians were behind
LONDON (AP) — The United it." Trump spoke to reporters
States, France and Ger- at the White House after his
many joined Britain on administration announced
Thursday in condemning new sanctions on Russian
Russia for the nerve-agent entities for alleged med-
poisoning of a former spy, dling in the 2016 U.S. presi-
calling it an "assault on U.K. dential election.
sovereignty," as the Kremlin The four-nation statement
vowed to expel British dip- is the fruit of British efforts
lomats soon in response to to enlist international sup-
London's moves against port as it tries to hold Russia
Moscow. accountable for the March
Britain says blame for the 4 attack that left the for-
poisoning of Sergei Skri- mer Russian agent and his
pal and his daughter in daughter in critical condi-
the English city of Salisbury tion and a British police of-
lies with the Russian state. ficer seriously ill.
Prime Minister Theresa May Russia denies being the
responded by expelling source of the nerve agent
23 Russian diplomats, sev- that poisoned the Skripals
ering high-level contacts and has demanded Brit-
with Moscow and vowing Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May is briefed by members of the police as she views the area ain share samples collect-
where former Russian double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter were found critically ill, in
to take both open and co- Salisbury, England, Thursday, March 15, 2018. May on Wednesday expelled 23 Russian diplomats, ed by investigators. Britain
vert actions against Russian severed high-level contacts and vowed both open and covert action following the incident. says the poison used was
dirty money and "hostile (Toby Melville/Pool Photo via AP) Novichok, a class of nerve
state activity." agent developed by the
Russian Foreign Minister Ser- Donald Trump, French Pres- ing. War," the leaders said, call- Soviet Union toward the
gey Lavrov said Moscow ident Emmanuel Macron "This use of a military-grade ing it "an assault on U.K. end of the Cold War.
would "certainly" expel and German Chancellor nerve agent, of a type de- sovereignty" and "a breach Deputy Foreign Minister
some British diplomats soon Angela Merkel said "there veloped by Russia, consti- of international law." Sergei Ryabkov said Rus-
in retaliation. is no plausible alternative tutes the first offensive use Trump, who has often been sia had halted all chemi-
In a rare joint statement, explanation" to Russian re- of a nerve agent in Europe reluctant to criticize Russian cal weapons research af-
May and U.S. President sponsibility for the poison- since the Second World President Vladimir Putin, ter joining the Chemical
Weapons Convention that
Slovak PM, government resigns over journalist crisis came into force in 1997,
and completed the de-
struction of its stockpiles
last year. The poisoning has
BRATISLAVA, Slovakia (AP) "An early election would ties between the Italian racy party, will form the sparked a war of words
— Slovak Prime Minister not bring any stability." mafia and people close same coalition as the previ-
Robert Fico and his govern- Fico, who has led three Slo- to Fico when he was killed. ous government — with the from senior politicians in
London and Moscow, in-
ment resigned Thursday as vak governments in recent The reporter also wrote Most-Hid party represent-
a way out of the political years, said he had no plans about corruption scandals ing ethnic Hungarians and creasing tensions between
the two countries.
crisis triggered by the slay- to leave politics. linked to Fico's leftist Smer the ultranationalist Slovak
ings of an investigative jour- "I'm not going anywhere," Social Democracy party. National Party. The coali- Lavrov said Britain's "boorish
and unfounded" accusa-
nalist and his fiancee. Fico said. "I want to be an The protests were the big- tion has a majority in the
President Andrej Kiska ac- active chairman of a politi- gest in Slovakia since the 150-seat Parliament, hold- tions against Russia were
intended to distract public
cepted the resignation cal party." 1989 anti-communist Vel- ing 79 seats. Pellegrini said
and asked Peter Pellegrini, His resignation came after vet Revolution. More dem- he planned some chang- attention from the troubled
path toward Brexit.
Fico's deputy prime minis- tens of thousands of Slovaks onstrations are scheduled es to the government but
ter, to form a new govern- joined anti-government for Friday despite's Fico's gave no details. Earlier this He accused Britain of fan-
ning "anti-Russian rhetoric
ment. The move is meant protests across the coun- move, said organizers who week, the Most-Hid coali-
to keep the current three- try last week to demand want to see a new elec- tion party called for holding bordering on hysteria."
"They are trying to rely on
party coalition in power the government's resigna- tion. "We have a historic an early election but the
and avoid the possibility of tion and a thorough inves- chance to start ridding Slo- party leadership changed political rhetoric, on Rus-
sophobia in the hope that
an early election. tigation into the shooting vakia of corruption," they its mind after Fico offered
"I'm sure that a decision to deaths of Jan Kuciak and said in a statement. his resignation. Slovakia's the entire Western world
lines up behind them," he
create a new government Martina Kusnirova. Pellegrini, who also is from next regular general elec-
is the right step," Fico said. Kuciak was writing about the Smer Social Democ- tion is due in 2020.q said.q