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THE HAGUE: The world’s chemical watchdog is to meet behind closed doors Wednesday, after a British laboratory said it had not proved that Russia manufactured a deadly nerve agent used to poison a former Russian spy.

The talks at the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) have been requested by Moscow which said it wanted to “address the situation around the allegations… in regards to the incident in Salisbury.”

“We hope to discuss the whole matter and call on Britain to provide every possible element of evidence they might have in their hands,” Russia’s ambassador to Ireland, Yury Filatov, told reporters.

On Tuesday, the British military facility analysing the nerve agent used on former Russian double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia, said it was not in a position to say where the substance had originated.

Skripal, who has lived in Britain since a spy swap in 2010, and his daughter have been in hospital since the March 4 poisoning that London and its major Western allies have blamed on Russia.

The 41 member states of the OPCW’s executive council are to convene at 10:00 am (0800 GMT) at the organisation’s headquarters in The Hague.

The meeting comes after Moscow also received and analysed samples of the Novichok agent used in the attack.

“Russia is interested in establishing the whole truth of the matter,” Filatov said.

But Britain’s foreign ministry accused Russia of requesting the meeting to undermine the OPCW’s investigation.

“This Russian initiative is yet again another diversionary tactic, intended to undermine the work of the OPCW in reaching a conclusion,” the ministry said in a statement.

“Of course, there is no requirement in the Chemical Weapons Convention for the victim of a chemical weapons attack to engage in a joint investigation with the likely perpetrator,” it said.

Gary Aitkenhead, chief executive of the Porton Down defence laboratory, told Britain’s Sky News that analysts had identified the substance as military-grade Novichok, the word used for a category of nerve agents developed in Soviet times.

But he added: “We have not identified the precise source.”

“It is our job to provide the scientific evidence of what this particular nerve agent is, we identified that it is from this particular family and that it is a military grade, but it is not our job to say where it was manufactured,” Aitkenhead said.

“Extremely sophisticated methods” were needed to create the nerve agent, he said, adding that was “something only in the capabilities of a state actor”

Following his remarks, a British government spokesperson said Porton Down’s identification of Novichok was “only one part of the intelligence picture”.

“This includes our knowledge that within the last decade, Russia has investigated ways of delivering nerve agents probably for assassination ?- and as part of this programme has produced and stockpiled small quantities of Novichok; Russia’s record of conducting state-sponsored assassinations; and our assessment that Russia views former intelligence officers as targets,” it added.

The first use of chemical weapons in Europe since World War II has chilled Moscow’s relations with the West, as both sides have expelled scores of diplomats.

Britain has also suspended high-level diplomatic contact with Moscow.

Moscow has denied any involvement in the incident, with Russian President Vladimir Putin saying late Tuesday he hoped the OPCW meeting would put a “full stop” to the issue.

Putin added he had been informed that the British military could not prove the substance was made in Russia.

An “anti-Russian campaign” had been started with surprising speed, Putin said, reiterating Moscow’s claim that it should be allowed to take part in the investigation. – AFP </s> THE HAGUE/LONDON (Reuters) - The lethal poison that struck down a former Russian spy and his daughter last month in England was a highly pure type of Novichok nerve agent, the global chemical weapons watchdog concluded on Thursday, backing Britain’s findings.

Sergei Skripal, a former colonel in Russian military intelligence who betrayed dozens of agents to Britain’s MI6 foreign spy service, and his daughter were found unconscious on a bench in the English cathedral city of Salisbury on March 4.

Britain blamed Russia for the poisoning and Prime Minister Theresa May said that the Skripals had been attacked with a military-grade nerve agent from the Novichok group of poisons, developed by the Soviet Union in the 1970s and 80s.

Moscow denied any involvement and suggested Britain had carried out the attack to stoke anti-Russian hysteria, but Britain asked the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) to check samples from Salisbury.

Testing by four laboratories affiliated with the global chemical weapons watchdog confirmed Britain’s findings and showed that the toxic chemical was “of high purity.”

The chemical weapons watchdog did not explicitly name Novichok in its published summary, say where the poison may have come from or assign blame for the attack. But it did confirm Britain’s analysis about the substance that had been used.

“The results of analysis by OPCW-designated laboratories of environmental and biomedical samples collected by the OPCW team confirm the findings of the United Kingdom relating to the identity of the toxic chemical,” the published summary said.

Testing by OPCW laboratories, the details of which were kept confidential, also found the substance used in Salisbury to be of “a high purity”, which supports the British government’s assertion that a state was involved.

The attack prompted the biggest Western expulsion of Russian diplomats since the Cold War as allies in Europe and the United States sided with May’s view that Moscow was either responsible or had lost control of the nerve agent.

Moscow has hit back by expelling Western diplomats, questioning how Britain knows that Russia was responsible and offering its rival interpretations, including that it amounted to a plot by British secret services.

Russia has said it does not have such nerve agents and President Vladimir Putin said it was nonsense to think that Moscow would have poisoned Skripal and his daughter. A British police officer was also taken ill after attending the scene.

“There can be no doubt what was used and there remains no alternative explanation about who was responsible – only Russia has the means, motive and record,” Johnson said.

The poisoning of Skripal, a former double agent who settled in Britain in 2010 after being released by Moscow in a spy swap, shows “how reckless Russia is prepared to be”, the head of Britain’s GCHQ spy agency said on Thursday.

Yulia Skripal, who was released from hospital on Monday, said in a statement she was suffering from the effects of the poisoning, while her father remained seriously ill. She said she was declining an offer of assistance from the Russian Embassy. [L8N1RO6G7]

There are several variants of Novichok, a binary weapon containing two less-toxic chemicals that, when mixed, react to produce a poison several times more lethal than sarin or VX.

Russia’s ambassador to Britain, Alexander Yakovenko, has identified the alleged poison as Novichok A-234, derived from an earlier version known as A-232.

Britain has said the use of such an obscure poison indicates Moscow was either to blame or had lost control over its nerve agents.

“The high purity of the substance will strengthen the UK’s position that the agent was made by a highly proficient team and in a well refined process,” said Alastair Hay, Professor Emeritus of Environmental Toxicology at Britain’s University of Leeds.

The laboratory results, which came in on Wednesday night, were to be circulated to OPCW member states on Thursday. The results will be debated at an emergency OPCW session next Wednesday, to be convened at Britain’s request.

It is unclear how the OPCW will respond. Its executive council has been unable to take decisions due to splits between the Western powers and Russia that have also prevented it from acting in the wake of ongoing use of chemical weapons in Syria. </s> British Police Community Support Officers stand on duty outside a residential property in Salisbury, southern England, on March 6, 2018. — Reuters picTHE HAGUE, April 4 — The world’s chemical watchdog is to meet behind closed doors today, after a British laboratory said it had not proved that Russia manufactured a deadly nerve agent used to poison a former Russian spy.

The talks at the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) have been requested by Moscow which said it wanted to “address the situation around the allegations... in regards to the incident in Salisbury.”

“We hope to discuss the whole matter and call on Britain to provide every possible element of evidence they might have in their hands,” Russia’s ambassador to Ireland, Yury Filatov, told reporters.

Yesterday, the British military facility analysing the nerve agent used on former Russian double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia, said it was not in a position to say where the substance had originated.

Skripal, who has lived in Britain since a spy swap in 2010, and his daughter have been in hospital since the March 4 poisoning that London and its major Western allies have blamed on Russia.

The 41 member states of the OPCW’s executive council are to convene at 10:00 am (0800 GMT) at the organisation’s headquarters in The Hague.

The meeting comes after Moscow also received and analysed samples of the Novichok agent used in the attack.

“Russia is interested in establishing the whole truth of the matter,” Filatov said.

But Britain’s foreign ministry accused Russia of requesting the meeting to undermine the OPCW’s investigation.

“This Russian initiative is yet again another diversionary tactic, intended to undermine the work of the OPCW in reaching a conclusion,” the ministry said in a statement.

“Of course, there is no requirement in the Chemical Weapons Convention for the victim of a chemical weapons attack to engage in a joint investigation with the likely perpetrator,” it said.

Gary Aitkenhead, chief executive of the Porton Down defence laboratory, told Britain’s Sky News that analysts had identified the substance as military-grade Novichok, the word used for a category of nerve agents developed in Soviet times.

But he added: “We have not identified the precise source.”

“It is our job to provide the scientific evidence of what this particular nerve agent is, we identified that it is from this particular family and that it is a military grade, but it is not our job to say where it was manufactured,” Aitkenhead said.

“Extremely sophisticated methods” were needed to create the nerve agent, he said, adding that was “something only in the capabilities of a state actor”

Following his remarks, a British government spokesperson said Porton Down’s identification of Novichok was “only one part of the intelligence picture”.

“This includes our knowledge that within the last decade, Russia has investigated ways of delivering nerve agents probably for assassination –- and as part of this programme has produced and stockpiled small quantities of Novichok; Russia’s record of conducting state-sponsored assassinations; and our assessment that Russia views former intelligence officers as targets,” it added.

The first use of chemical weapons in Europe since World War II has chilled Moscow’s relations with the West, as both sides have expelled scores of diplomats.

Britain has also suspended high-level diplomatic contact with Moscow.

Moscow has denied any involvement in the incident, with Russian President Vladimir Putin saying late Tuesday he hoped the OPCW meeting would put a “full stop” to the issue.

Putin added he had been informed that the British military could not prove the substance was made in Russia.

An “anti-Russian campaign” had been started with surprising speed, Putin said, reiterating Moscow’s claim that it should be allowed to take part in the investigation. — AFP </s> A second UK police officer was exposed to a Soviet-era nerve agent used in last year’s attack on a former Russian spy in the English city Salisbury, British detectives said Thursday.

Former double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia fell into comas after coming into contact with a banned chemical called Novichok in March 2018.

They both survived but a local resident named Dawn Sturgess died after picking up a perfume bottle UK police believe was used to transport it from Russia.

The UK government is seeking the extradition of two suspected members of Russia’s military intelligence service that London believes carried out the attack on Kremlin orders.

Detectives from Britain’s Counter Terrorism Policing (CTP) network said “traces of the nerve agent” were found in blood samples taken from a second police officer who showed signs of exposure at the time.

It said the dose was “very small” and the officer, who has requested anonymity, “continues to receive support” from the Salisbury police.

Detective sergeant Nick Bailey has recovered after receiving a larger dose of Novichok.

“The investigation remains ongoing, and there are parts of the picture that we are continuing to piece together,” the CTP said.

“In particular, we are keen to hear from anyone who may have seen the counterfeit ‘Nina Ricci’ perfume box or bottle” between the day of the Skripal poisoning and the day Sturgess’s friend Charlie Rowley picked it up in a park in June. </s> The International Chemical Weapons watchdog says samples of the poison used in the attack on former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia confirm the use of a highly toxic nerve agent. Despite this, they did not label the chemical 'Novichok' as the British government has done. Novichok is a Soviet-era nerve agent, which the UK says links Russia to the attack.

RUSSIAN intelligence was spying on former double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia for at least five years before they were poisoned in a nerve agent attack, Britain’s National Security Adviser Mark Sedwill said in a letter to NATO on Friday.

Mr Sedwill also said that Russia has tested means of delivering chemical agents “including by application to door handles”, pointing out that the highest concentration of the chemical found after the attack was on Skripal’s front door handle.

“We have information indicating Russian intelligence service interest in the Skripals, dating back at least as far as 2013, when email accounts belonging to Yulia Skripal were targeted by GRU cyber specialists,” Mr Sedwill wrote in the letter, referring to Russia’s foreign military intelligence agency.

The Skripals were found slumped on a bench in the English city of Salisbury on March 4. Britain has blamed Russia for the attack — a charge that Moscow has strongly denied.

After testing samples from Salisbury, the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) on Thursday confirmed Britain’s findings about the nerve agent used in the attack.

Mr Sedwill’s letter to NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg alleged that Russia had “the technical means, operational experience and motive for the attack on the Skripals and that it is highly likely that the Russian state was responsible”.

Mr Sedwill said “credible open-source reporting and intelligence” showed that in the 1980s the Soviet Union developed a family of nerve agents known as Novichoks at a base in the town of Shikhany near Volgograd, which has been closed since 1997, the year that the Chemical Weapons Convention came into effect.

“The codeword for the offensive chemical weapons programme (of which Novichoks were one part) was FOLIANT,” he said.

“It is highly likely that Novichoks were developed to prevent detection by the West and to circumvent international chemical weapons controls,” he said.

By 1993, when Russia signed the Chemical Weapons Convention, Sedwill said it was “likely” that some Novichoks had passed testing to allow their use by the Russian military.

In the 2000s, Sedwill said Russia had trained military personnel in using these weapons, including on door handles.

“Within the last decade, Russia has produced and stockpiled small quantities of Novichoks under the same programme,” he said. </s> In a major embarrassment to the UK establishment, the chief scientist from the UK's Porton Down military laboratory facility, Gary Aitkenhead, told Sky News that they had been unable to prove that the novichok nerve agent used to poison Sergei and Yulia Skripal came from Russia.

"We were able to identify it as novichok, to identify that it was military-grade nerve agent," Aitkenhead said. "We have not identified the precise source, but we have provided the scientific info to government who have then used a number of other sources to piece together the conclusions you have come to."

The chief scientist said that establishing the Novichok's origin required "other inputs," some of which are intelligence based and which only the government has access to.

Aitkenhead added: "It is our job to provide the scientific evidence of what this particular nerve agent is, we identified that it is from this particular family and that it is a military grade, but it is not our job to say where it was manufactured."

Oh good, at least Europe did not expel most Russian diplomats based on a Colin Powellesque assumption that since Russia is the only possible source of Novichok, so it must be. Oh wait...

Of course, this humiliation to the official narrative that Putin was clearly behind the assassination attempt all along also begs the question: whose job is it to say where the Novichok came from?

That said, it was also noted that the nerve agent involved required "extremely sophisticated methods to create, something only in the capabilities of a state actor," and that there is no known antidote to Novichok - nor was any administered to either of the Skripals.

Aitkenhead would not say whether the Porton Down facility had manufactured or maintained stocks of Novichok - long rumored to be the case.

"There is no way anything like that could have come from us or left the four walls of our facility," said the chief.

News of the UK's inability to trace the origin of the Novichok comes as a chemical weapons watchdog, the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) is set to hold an executive council meeting in The Hague on Russia's request.

Skripal and his daughter Yulia were poisoned four weeks ago in Salisbury. Russia has insisted on access to the pair.

Russia's Ambassador to the UK, Alexander Yakovenko, says that London's reluctance to share information on the March 4 poisoning of the former double agent and his daughter has led Moscow to suggest that London authorities actually perpetrated the crime.

“Our British colleagues should recall that Russia and the United Kingdom are members of the OPCW which is one of the most successful and effective disarmament and non-proliferation mechanisms," said Russian politician Vasily Shulgin. "We call upon them to abandon the language of ultimatums and threats and return to the legal framework of the chemical convention, which makes it possible to resolve this kind of situation."

“We have very serious suspicion that this provocation was done by British intelligence,” Yakovenko told Russia's NTV channel - adding however that Moscow had no direct proof, but that the UK's behavior constitutes strong circumstantial evidence in support of their theory.

Following the Skripal poisoning, the UK and several of its allies responded by expelling Russian diplomats - with the Trump administration kicking 60 Russians out of the country, and the UK expelling 23. Russia returned "fire" with the expulsion of several foreign diplomats, and a demand that Britain scale back its diplomatic mission in Russia - affecting over 50 jobs.

Yulia's condition is said to have improved significantly last week, and she is now conscious and talking. Meanwhile, Sergei Skripal reportedly remains unresponsive in critical condition. </s> Russia has called an extraordinary meeting of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) in The Hague to discuss the UK’s claim that Moscow was behind the attack.

The EU said it was “very concerned” Russia is considering rejecting the findings of the body.

Yesterday UK experts said they could not prove that Russian agents poisoned Sergei and Yulia Skripal.

The union also said that it is “imperative” that Russia co-operate with the chemical weapons watchdog to find out who carried out the first known attack with nerve agent since the end of the Second World War.

Scientists at the Porton Down military research facility haven’t been able to establish exactly where the novichok nerve agent was manufactured, however the German government said that “nothing has changed” regarding their position of support toward the UK. </s> London (AFP) - The British military facility analysing the nerve agent used to poison a spy said on Tuesday it could not prove the substance was made in Russia, as Russian President Vladimir Putin put his hopes in a meeting with the world's chemical weapons watchdog.

Gary Aitkenhead, chief executive of the Porton Down defence laboratory, told Britain's Sky News that analysts had identified the substance as military-grade Novichok, the word used for a category of nerve agents developed in Soviet times.

But he added: "We have not identified the precise source."

"It is our job to provide the scientific evidence of what this particular nerve agent is, we identified that it is from this particular family and that it is a military grade, but it is not our job to say where it was manufactured," Aitkenhead said.

He added that "extremely sophisticated methods" were needed to create the nerve agent, and that was "something only in the capabilities of a state actor"

Following his remarks, a British government spokesman said Porton Down's identification of Novichok was "only one part of the intelligence picture".

"This includes our knowledge that within the last decade, Russia has investigated ways of delivering nerve agents probably for assassination -- and as part of this programme has produced and stockpiled small quantities of Novichok; Russia's record of conducting state-sponsored assassinations; and our assessment that Russia views former intelligence officers as targets," he added.

Former double agent Sergei Skripal, who has lived in Britain since a spy swap in 2010, and his daughter Yulia have been in hospital since March 4 after the poisoning that London and its major Western allies have blamed on Russia.

The first use of chemical weapons in Europe since World War II has chilled Moscow's relations with the West, as both sides have expelled scores of diplomats.

Britain has also suspended high-level diplomatic contact with Moscow.

Moscow has denied any involvement in the incident, with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Monday suggesting that the British government may be behind the poisoning to distract attention from problems around Brexit.

Aitkenhead would not comment on whether Porton Down had developed or keeps stocks of Novichok, but he dismissed claims the agent used to poison the Skripals had come from the site.

"There is no way anything like that could have come from us or left the four walls of our facility," he said.

The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), the world's chemical watchdog, will meet Wednesday to discuss Britain's allegations that Russia was responsible for the poisoning, according to documents released on Tuesday.

The OPCW said Russia had asked for the meeting, which Putin said was aimed at putting an end to the ongoing dispute.

"We hope that during those discussions a full stop will be placed on (the issue of) what happened," he said during a visit to the Turkish capital Ankara.

The meeting request came after Moscow received and analysed samples of the Novichok agent used in the attack.

The confidential gathering will start at 10:00 am (0800 GMT) at the OPCW's headquarters in The Hague.

"We hope to discuss the whole matter and call on Britain to provide every possible element of evidence they might have in their hands," Russia's ambassador to Ireland, Yury Filatov, told reporters ahead of the OPCW meeting.

"Russia is interested in establishing the whole truth of the matter," he said.

But Britain's foreign ministry accused Russia of requesting the meeting to undermine the organisation's investigation.

"This Russian initiative is yet again another diversionary tactic, intended to undermine the work of the OPCW in reaching a conclusion," the ministry said in a statement.

"Of course, there is no requirement in the Chemical Weapons Convention for the victim of a chemical weapons attack to engage in a joint investigation with the likely perpetrator," it said. </s> The world's chemical arms watchdog on Thursday confirmed Britain's findings on the identity of a nerve agent used against a former Russian spy, which London has said involved the Soviet-made Novichok.

LONDON: The world's chemical arms watchdog on Thursday confirmed Britain's findings on the identity of a nerve agent used against a former Russian spy, which London has said involved the Soviet-made Novichok.

Samples tested by the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) "confirm the findings of the United Kingdom relating to the identity of the toxic chemical", it said.

The watchdog made no assessment of who was to blame for the March 4 attack, which also affected Sergei Skripal's daughter Yulia and a local policeman.

But British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson said: "There can be no doubt what was used and there remains no alternative explanation about who was responsible.

"Only Russia has the means, motive and record."

Moscow strongly denies involvement in the attack, which has sparked an international row resulting in the expulsions of diplomats from all sides.

Experts from the OPCW took samples from the three victims during a visit to Britain last month, which were then tested in international laboratories.

In an executive summary made public at Britain's request, it said "the toxic chemical was of high purity" but did not name it.

That information and details about its structure would be in a classified report shared with OPCW signatories, it said.

Johnson said the chemical "was a military grade nerve agent -- a Novichok", a group of deadly chemical compounds reportedly developed by the Soviet government in the 1970s and 1980s.

"We have called a session of the OPCW Executive Council next Wednesday to discuss next steps. The Kremlin must give answers," he added.

Alastair Hay, Professor of Environmental Toxicology at the University of Leeds, said the findings were a "vindication" of Britain's position.

He added: "The high purity of the substance will strengthen the UK's position that the agent was made by a highly proficient team and in a well refined process."

Prime Minister Theresa May's government has said Russia was known to have used Novichok, and pointed to the country's pattern of "reckless behaviour", including the annexation of Crimea.

Russia insists it has destroyed all of its chemical weapons and has responded angrily to suggests it targeted Skripal, a former intelligence officer who sold secrets to the British.

Skripal moved to Britain in a spy swap in 2010 and settled in Salisbury, and Yulia was visiting from Russia when they were poisoned, likely via contamination from his front door.

Despite initial fears that they would not survive, Yulia Skripal was released from hospital to an undisclosed location on Monday, while her father is said to be improving rapidly.

The Russian embassy in London has requested consular access to the Skripal, and warned that any secret resettlement of the family "will be seen as an abduction or at least as their forced isolation".

In a statement issued through British police on Wednesday, Yulia Skripal said she did not currently want any help from the embassy, adding: "I am safe and feeling better as time goes by."

She said her father "is still seriously ill" and said she herself is "still suffering with the effects of the nerve agent used against us".

She also distanced herself from her cousin Viktoria Skripal, who has spoken to Russian media about the poisoning and has sought to visit Britain, although her visa was rejected.

"I thank my cousin Viktoria for her concern for us, but ask that she does not visit me or try to contact me for the time being," Yulia Skripal said.
The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons states it agrees with UK authorities on their analysis of the identity of the toxic chemical used against the Skripals. The UK identifies the substance as a Novichok nerve agent, of a type developed by Russia.