Moscow asks US and Ukraine questions at UN panel
GENEVA (dpa-AFX) – Russia tried to justify its attack on Ukraine in February with the accusation that biological weapons were being developed in the neighboring country on behalf of the USA. According to Moscow, this violates the UN Biological Weapons Convention, which is why the Russian government in Geneva pushed through a hearing among the signatory states to the Biological Weapons Convention. On Wednesday, the Secretariat published new questions submitted by Russia. Such a hearing has no consequences.
The USA, Ukraine and Western countries had previously condemned Russia’s advance as a propaganda campaign. “This is part of Russia’s disinformation campaign and the allegations are unfounded,” said a European diplomat in Geneva.
In the history of the “Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Manufacture and Stockpiling of Bacteriological (Biological) Weapons and Toxin Weapons and on the Destruction of Weapons”, which came into force in 1975, such a hearing has only taken place once before: in 1997, when Cuba accused the USA of insects Having dropped off in Cuban fields, the crops died.
Questions submitted by Russia included alleged lack of reports on pathogens being researched in Ukrainian laboratories, lack of legislation dealing with dangerous pathogens, or why Ukraine is dealing with anthrax and other pathogens instead of acute health problems.
The document also mentions American military experts who are said to have been involved in research in Ukraine. In relation to alleged patents, the US is asked: “Does the United States consider the inventions recognized in these patents to be tools used in the use of biological or toxin weapons?”
Both Ukraine and the United States reject the allegations with their own documents. Ukraine presented its research program on 45 pages, with the note: “Russian accusations will never justify the baseless attack on Ukraine.”
The hearing runs until Friday. It takes place behind closed doors. The federal government also wanted to make a statement./oe/DP/jha