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world news Diahuebs 14 aPRiL 2022

Germany irritated by Ukraine’s snub of a presidential visit

(AP) — German Chancellor Olaf A Ukrainian presidential advisor,
Scholz on Wednesday criticized a Oleksiy Arestovych, told Germany’s
diplomatic snub by Ukraine for ARD television that he didn’t know
his country’s president and de- the reasons for the decision to reject a
fended Berlin’s record on deliv- Steinmeier visit but also signaled that
ering weapons to Kyiv amid ten- Kyiv would like to see Scholz so that
sions that have flared at a delicate “practical decisions” could be made
moment in German policymak- on matters such as weapons.
ing on the war.
A senior lawmaker with one of Ger-
President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, many’s three governing parties, Wolf-
Germany’s largely ceremonial head of gang Kubicki, said he didn’t think
state, had hoped to travel to Ukraine Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zel-
on Wednesday with his Polish and enskyy was “well advised” to reject a
Baltic counterparts. But he said Tues- visit by Steinmeier.
day that his presence “apparently ...
wasn’t wanted in Kyiv.” The German Steinmeier, who became president in
newspaper Bild quoted an unidenti- 2017, served twice as ex-Chancellor
fied Ukrainian diplomat as saying Angela Merkel’s foreign minister and
that Steinmeier was not welcome at before that as ex-Chancellor Gerhard
the moment, pointing to his close re- Schroeder’s chief of staff. During that
lations with Russia in the past. time, Germany pursued a dialogue
sian offensive in the east. Germany with Putin and cultivated close en-
Ukraine’s ambassador to Germany The flap comes amid a discussion broke with tradition after Russia’s ergy ties.
later said the government would be within Scholz’s governing coalition invasion to supply arms to Ukraine
glad to welcome Scholz — who, un- about whether Germany should au- but has faced criticism from Kyiv for Last week, Steinmeier admitted mis-
like Steinmeier, sets government pol- thorize sending heavy weapons such perceived hesitancy and slowness in takes in Germany’s policies toward
icy. But the snub to Steinmeier may as tanks to Ukraine as that nation providing material. Russia, saying that “we failed on
make that more difficult. prepares to face a stepped-up Rus- many points.”

Chemical weapons use from Syrian war stokes Ukraine’s fears

(AP) — The chilling nian officials say it could have cess. Assad, with Russia’s ons of mass destruction. the town of Khan Sheikhoun
scenes from Syria of vic- been phosphorus munitions backing, consistently cast a in rebel-held Idlib province
tims twitching and gasp- - which cause horrendous cloud of confusion, accusing Red lines that killed about 100 people.
ing for air after chlorine burns but are not classed as the opposition of fabricating The assault early on the Experts from the U.N. and
cylinders were dropped chemical weapons. evidence or deploying poison morning of Aug. 21, 2013, the chemical weapons watch-
from helicopters in towns Putin has threatened to gas themselves to try to frame on the rebel-held suburbs of dog blamed the Syrian gov-
and villages were broad- broaden the Ukraine war him. Damascus known as Ghouta ernment for the attack.
cast over and over in the into a nuclear conflict, but it An investigative mechanism shocked a world that had
course of country’s civil is unclear if chemical agents set up by the Organization grown largely numb to the As Moscow pushes its of-
war. will be used to support his for the Prohibition of Chem- carnage of Syria’s civil war. fensive in Ukraine, world
military operations. Analysts ical Weapons blamed Syrian Fueling the international leaders and policymakers are
Legal and moral taboos were say the Syria war set a horrific government forces for multi- outrage were dozens of on- grappling with how the West
shattered. Hundreds were precedent in terms of deploy- ple chemical attacks in Syria, line videos showing victims should respond to a Russian
killed, including many chil- ing chlorine, sulfur and the including the use of chlorine in spasms, gasping for breath battlefield use of chemical or
dren, in dozens of poison nerve agent sarin, completely and sarin in an attack on the and foaming at the mouth. biological weapons. Mem-
gas attacks widely blamed disregarding international town of Khan Sheikhoun in The attack crossed what bers of Congress said the
on President Bashar Assad’s norms and with no account- April 2017 that killed about then-U.S. President Barack Biden administration and its
forces under the protection ability. 100 people. At least one mus- Obama had called a “red line” allies will not stand by if that
of his chief ally, Russian Pres- tard gas attack was blamed for possible military inter- happens.
ident Vladimir Putin. She has joined with other on the Islamic State group, vention in the Arab country. Unlike Syria, however, Rus-
nongovernmental organiza- which held territory in Syria sia is a nuclear power. Any
Several years later, concerns tions to file a criminal com- and Iraq for several years Obama came close to order- reaction risks triggering a
are growing that such weap- plaint on behalf of a group during the war that killed half ing U.S.-led military strikes nuclear confrontation, which
ons could be used in Ukraine, of Syrians living in Sweden a million people. but abruptly backed down af- Putin has already alluded to.
where Russian forces have against the Syrian govern- ter failing to secure the nec-
been waging a devastating ment for war crimes and In comments reminiscent essary support from the U.S. Achieving justice
war for weeks. crimes against humanity re- of Syria, Russia accused Congress and instead struck Samani, of Civil Rights De-
lated to its use of chemical Ukraine of running chemical a deal with Moscow to elimi- fenders, faults the interna-
As the conflict drags on, weapons. and biological labs with U.S. nate Syria’s chemical arsenal. tional community for not
Western officials and Ukrai- support, leading to accusa- making a real effort to seek
nian President Volodymyr Western officials say Rus- tions Moscow was seeking By August 2014, Assad’s gov- accountability for the chemi-
Zelenskyy have warned that sia may be looking to bor- to stage a false-flag incident. ernment declared that the cal weapons attacks in Syria.
Putin could deploy chemical row from the Syria playbook, Ukraine does have a network destruction of its chemical
agents. where Assad’s forces tested of biological labs that have weapons was completed. But Last week, she and a group of
the international commu- gotten funding and research Syria’s initial declaration to NGOs presented new infor-
Officials say they are investi- nity’s resolve by gradually support from the U.S. — but the OPCW has remained in mation relevant to the sarin
gating an unconfirmed claim ramping up the brutality of they are part of a program dispute, and the attacks con- gas attacks on Khan Sheik-
by a far-right Ukrainian regi- attacks and methods. seeking to reduce the likeli- tinued. hun in 2017 and Ghouta in
ment that a poisonous sub- hood of deadly outbreaks by 2013 to investigative authori-
stance was dropped in the Part of the equation in Syria pathogens, whether natural In 2017, U.S. President Don- ties in Germany, France and
besieged city of Mariupol was the difficulty of proving or manmade. The U.S. ef- ald Trump launched several Sweden.
this week. The claim could anything in the aftermath forts date to the 1990s to dozen cruise missiles at a Syr-
not be confirmed by inde- of such attacks, largely due dismantle the former Soviet ian air base in retaliation for a But justice appears to be a
pendent sources, and Ukrai- to the lack of immediate ac- Union’s program for weap- suspected nerve gas attack on long way off.