UN Security Council session, Ambassador Mansour Al-Otaibi

NEW YORK: Kuwait Representative to the UN said his country stands by the United Kingdom in whatever measures it might take to determine the culprits in the poisoning of Sergei Skripal, a Russian ex-spy, and his daughter Yulia in Salisbury town early last month. Speaking on behalf of Kuwait at a UN Security Council session, Ambassador Mansour Al-Otaibi expressed regret over the incident and welcomed the call to involve the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) in the investigations.

At a Russian request, the Council opened this session on Thursday under the theme of "UK letter to the Security Council," in reference to a letter dated March 14, 2018, where the UK said it is "highly likely" that Russia is behind nerve-agent attack on Skripal and Yulia. Russia denies any role in the incident. The OPCW is an impartial and specialized UN agency that could contribute to the unveiling the truth and determining those responsible for the attack, Ambassador Al-Otaibi said, expressing wish for quick recovery for the two victims.

He also voiced profound concern over the growing challenges facing the UN efforts to prevent the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction (WMDs), including the chemical weapons. Kuwait is firmly against proliferation, production and storing of WMDs and denounces any use or threat to use such weapons, whether directly or indirectly whatever the justifications might be, Al-Otaibi stressed.

Kuwait's stance is based on the provisions of the first article of the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC), he added, noting that Kuwait jointed the Convention in 1997. Ahmet Uzumcu, the OPCW Director-General, said the results of tests of samples collected from individuals exposed to a nerve agent in Salisbury are expected to be received by early next week. "Once the results of the analyses of the samples are received, the Secretariat will produce a report on the basis of these results and will transmit a copy of this report to the United Kingdom," he told the OPCW Executive Council. - KUNA