Maria Zakharova gives a press briefing

US continues to issue ‘militarist statements’ – Zakharova

al-Masdar news,

12 April,2018

BEIRUT, LEBANON (9:30 P.M.) – Russian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Maria Zakharova blamed the United States of America and France for threatening to use force against Syria, during her weekly news briefing in Moscow on Thursday.

“The threat of the use of force against a UN member country is a strong violation of the Charter of this organisation,” said Zakharova.

The spokesperson emphasised that “militarist statements continue to be heard from Washington, which threaten an extremely dangerous escalation.”

Zakharova called that the US President Donald Trump was the first person to announce a ‘crusade’ against fake news, but asked how an escalation in violence in Syria can be based on unverified information.

Regarding another topic, the spokesperson stated that the recent Israeli air attack on the Tifor base in the Syrian Arab Republic coincided with the activation of militants of the Islamic State group in the east the country.

“The strike made by the Israeli air force on the night of 9 April on the Syrian airbase Tifor did not add the stability to the situation in Syria,” she said.

The spokesperson also commented on Yulia Skripal’s statement issued by the British police, who was poisoned by a nerve agent [with former spy Sergei Skripal] in Salisbury on March 4th.

“We have every reason to believe that it may be a deliberate forcible retention of Russian citizens,” she said.