NEDERLAND SPEELT MET MARK ‘DE ONDERSTE STEEN’ RUTTE, DEMMINK, DE VVD EN HET KONINKLIJK HUIS EEN SLEUTELROL BIJ HET FORCEREN VAN DE ALLES VERWOESTENDE DERDE WERELDOORLOG * GISTEREN WAS ER EEN ZITTING VAN DE VN VEILIGHEIDSRAAD MET NEDERLAND IN PROMINENTE POSITIE * MAAR ALLE NEDERLANDSE MEDIA ZWIJGEN * WAT WAS DE BIJDRAGE VAN STEF BLOK IN NEW YORK NADAT HALBE DOOR DE VOLKSKRANT SAMEN MET RUTTE WERD ‘GERUIMD’? * BIJ DE TELEGRAAF ZELFS GEEN WOORD OVER DE ESCALATIES ROND SYRIE
The sharply escalating tensions between the US and Russia boiled over at an angry session of the UN security council session on Monday. The French UN envoy, Francois Delattre, said the symptoms of the victims suggested that they had been exposed to “a powerful neurotoxic agent, combined with chlorine to enhance its lethal effect”. Delattre added that only Syrian forces had the means and the motive to make such weapons and carry out such an attempt. The US ambassador, Nikki Haley, lashed out at Moscow for its unstinting backing of Bashar al-Assad, the Syrian leader. She referred to Moscow as the “Russian regime, whose hands are all covered in the blood of Syrian children. Haley’s Russian counterpart, Vassily Nebenzia, complained that “Russia is being unpardonably threatened” and claimed both that Russian investigators had found no evidence of a chemical attack in Douma, and that it had been staged by rebels, trained in carrying out false-flag provocations by US special forces. “There was no chemical weapons attack,” Nebenzia told the council. “Through the relevant channels we already conveyed to the US that armed forces under mendacious pretext against Syria – where, at the request of the legitimate government of a country, Russian troops have been deployed – could lead to grave repercussions.”