Russia and 17 other countries seek review of UN chemical weapons investigation rules

Russia and 17 other countries have called on the UN secretary-general to arrange a review of the mechanism for investigating possible use of chemical and biological weapons. The joint statement was published on the Russian foreign ministry's website.

The signatories said the mechanism's main principles and procedures had not been updated since their endorsement by the UN General Assembly in 1990.

Alongside Russia, the signatories are Algeria, Venezuela, Burkina Faso, Eritrea, Iran, Kyrgyzstan, China, Bolivia, Belarus, Burundi, Kazakhstan, Mali, Niger, Nicaragua, Tajikistan, Equatorial Guinea and the Central African Republic.