Russia has to answer important questions: UK envoy on nerve agent attack

Hitting out at Russia over the nerve attack on former double-agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia, British envoy to India Dominic Asquith said today Moscow has to answer "really very important questions".

His comment came in the wake of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons report that the chemical used against Sergei and Yulia Skripal in London in March was "of high purity". The OPCW report did not mention the name of the substance.

Asquith, however, did not give a direct answer to whether the UK would raise the matter during the Commonwealth Heads of the Government Meeting in London from April 16-20.

Leaders of 50 Commonwealth countries, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, are expected to attend the meeting.

"I am not going to project what over 50 heads of government agree next week. It would not be my role to say what would be in that statement," Asquith told reporters here.

"It is confirmed what we have been saying and what Russians had been contesting. Now, there are really very important questions what the Russians have to answer," he said.

The UK has been holding that Russia was behind the nerve agent attack. Following the attack last month, Russia and most of the NATO members are locked in a diplomatic showdown.

Both sides have expelled each other's diplomats.

Briefing reporters on CHOGM, Asquith said vulnerability of small islands, technology, cyber-security and protection of data, peacekeeping operation, particularly helping vulnerable countries will be discussed during the meeting.

Asked whether terrorism would be discussed, Asquith said talks would be to ensure that terrorists do not make use of the Internet for their activities.