Britain Seeks Support at U.N. in Spy Poisoning Clash with Russia
Britain on Wednesday appealed for support from countries at the U.N. Security Council as it pressed Moscow to answer for a nerve gas attack on a former Russian spy in England.
The council met in an emergency session at Britain's request to discuss the March 4 attack in the city of Salisbury that left ex-spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter in critical condition.
"Today I will be calling on my council colleagues to stand with us against such acts," British Deputy Ambassador Jonathan Allen told reporters ahead of the meeting.
"This was a reckless and indiscriminate act that put at risk the lives of civilians."
British Prime Minister Theresa May expelled 23 Russian diplomats and suspended high-level contacts with Russia after Moscow did not respond to her demand for an explanation.
Allen said that Russia's failure to provide answers left the British government with "no choice but to conclude that this was a state-sponsored act."
There was no plan for the council to adopt a statement.
Moscow has denied any involvement in the attack using the nerve agent Novichok, which was developed by the Soviet Union and later inherited by Russia.
U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres earlier said the use of a nerve agent was "unacceptable" and called for a thorough investigation.
Source: Agence France Presse
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