MOSCOW - Russia's Foreign Ministry called for a fair and professional investigation into reports that troops loyal to Syrian President Bashar Assad had carried out a chemical weapon attack near Damascus.Foreign Ministry Spokesman Alexander Lukashevich said on Wednesday circumstances around the reports, including the presence of UN inspectors in the country, suggested that attack could be a provocation by the opposition."All this cannot but suggest that once again we are dealing with a pre-planned provocation. This is supported by the fact that the criminal act was committed near Damascus at the very moment when a mission of UN experts had successfully started their work of investigating allegations of the possible use of chemical weapons there," Lukashevich said in a statement.
(photo credit: The Jerusalem Post)