Russia & UK trade blows at UN over poisoning

Russia and the Western members of the United Nations Security Council
have clashed over the alleged poisoning of a former Russian spy.

In a bizarrely theatrical meeting the Russian ambassador ran through a
litany of reasons why his country could not have carried out the
attack.

The UK and the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons
are currently investigating last month's attack in the UK town of
Salisbury.

The UK and Western nations say Moscow sanctioned the attack.

Nick Harper reports from the UN in New York.

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TAKE VO
This was one of the strangest meetings of recent times.
There was lots of squabbling, lots of dramatics, and lots of cultural
references never normally mentioned in the UN Security Council.
In a 40 minute speech the Russian ambassador Vassily Nebenzya said
mass media turned people into zombies, referenced Dostoevsky's Crime
and Punishment, spoke knowledgeably about the UK TV crime drama
Midsomer Murders, and spent several minutes reading from a copy of
Alice in Wonderland.
He again denied that his country was behind the attack on Sergei
Skripal and his daughter last month.
And lashed out at the Western nations unified response of expelling
Russian diplomats.

SOT - Vassily Nebenzya, Russia's Ambassador to the UN:
"This is a coordinated, very well prepared campaign, prepared in
advance. It's not by chance. The main goal is clear, it is to
discredit and even delegitimize Russia.

TAKE VO
The UK's new ambassador Karen Pierce questioned Russia's decision to
call this emergency meeting.
She said the independent investigation by the Organisation for the
Prohibition of Chemical Weapons was not yet complete.
And she shot back at Moscow's suggestion to partner with the UK to
jointly investigate the incident.

SOT - Karen Pierce, UK Ambassador to the UN:
"Mr. President there are several ways to view this joint
investigation. I think the metaphor that I find most apt is that of an
arsonist turned firefighter, but in this particular instance, the
arsonist wishes to investigate his own fire."

TAKE VO
The US representative criticized Russia for putting forward what she
called "conspiracy theories" and "disinformation".
Indeed some may see Russia's response in this meeting - at times
flippant, at times playful - as a way to bury the whole affair in a
multitude of denials and pure theatrics. Leading people down the same
rabbit warrens found mentioned in Alice in Wonderland.

ENDS