THE HAGUE: Russia's Industry Minister on Wednesday said the future of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) was in doubt after member states voted - over objections by Moscow - to empower it to assign blame for attacks.
Speaking after OPCW member states voted 82-24 in favor of a British-led proposal affirming the agency should go beyond determining whether a banned weapon had been used, Georgy Kalamonov compared the organization to a sinking ship.
"A lot of the countries that voted against the measure are starting to think about how the organization will exist and function in the future," he told reporters.