NZ backs nerve-agent probe
Claire Trevett
Fdeputy political editor oreign Minister Winston Peters has called for an urgent international investigation into Russia’s possible involvement in the nerve-agent attack on former double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter, Yulia, in Britain.
But the New Zealand First leader stopped short of supporting Britain’s calls for reprisals if Russia does not provide a credible response to Britain’s claims it was behind the attack.
Peters’ statement followed a rare move by the British High Commission in Wellington to brief New Zealand media on the case yesterday as part of a worldwide push by British diplomats.
British Prime Minister Theresa May delivered a statement to Britain’s Parliament in which she said Russia was highly likely to have been behind the attack and had until Wednesday morning (NZ time] to provide a credible response or it would face reprisals.
Helen Smith, the Deputy High Commissioner to New Zealand, said diplomats were briefing the New Zealand Government on Britain’s conclusion that Russia was “most likely responsible” for the attack on the Skripals.
She said possible measures included sanctions and expelling diplomats. The United Kingdom would also take action at the United Nations, including on the Security Council where Russia has a veto power.
On Tuesday, Peters issued a statement saying the Government had “grave concerns” about the use of a nerve agent in the United Kingdom.
“How this military grade nerve agent was transported from Russia and released abroad is the key issue here, and warrants urgent international investigation,” Peters said.
“The use of chemical weapons as a tool of war, or for murder or assassination is totally repugnant, and this incident is an affront to global Winston Peters rules and norms,” he said.
An advocate for a free-trade agreement with Russia, Peters recently said there was no evidence the Russian Government was involved in either the missile strike on MH17 over Ukraine or in interfering in the US election. Russia has denied involvement in both and investigations and legal proceedings are still under way.
Todd McClay, National Party spokesman on Foreign Affairs, said the Government had to take any request from the UK very seriously.
“The UK is one of our closest friends and if the Foreign Minister’s position is at all confused the Prime Minister needs to take responsibility for any decisions herself.”
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and Peters are due to go to London next month for the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting where the Russia situation is set to be the main topic of conversation in bilateral meetings with the likes of May and British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson.
It is the first use of nerve agents on British soil since World War II.
The Skripals are still critically ill following the attack on March 4 in the southern England city of Salisbury. About 24 others needed medical treatment, including a police officer, and traces of the agent were found at a pub and restaurant visited by the Skripals that day.
The nerve agent was identified at Novochok, a military-grade agent developed by Russia.
Skripal was a former Russian spy and UK intelligence informant.
The British Government believes it was either direct action by the Russian state or Moscow had lost control of its nerve-agent programme and let it get into the hands of other agents.