Russia loses bid to block new Syria chemical weapons probe

A bid by Russia to block funding for a new team that will identify culprits behind toxic attacks in Syria failed Thursday with member states at the global chemical watchdog overwhelmingly approving a new budget.

Moscow and its allies were trying to block next year's budget for the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons -- a move which would potentially have left the entire agency unable to operate -- if it included money for the new Identification and Investigations Team (IIT).

But 106 member states voted in favour of the new budget on Thursday, broadly seen as a confidence vote in the OPCW's activities, while only 19 countries including Russia and China voted against.

"In light of this result the budget for 2020 is adopted," the Conference of State's Parties chairman said to applause.

The United States earlier accused Russia of a "cover-up" of the use of chemical weapons by its ally Damascus, at a tense annual meeting of the OPCW's 193 member countries in The Hague.

"Russia would like to express our deepest regret," a Russian delegate told the meeting after the vote.

"Once again we find ourselves in a situation where a number of state parties chose not to take into account the opinion of the Russian Federation and a number of other major contributors," the delegate said.

Syria also slammed the move saying it "rejected the political blackmail by the United States and its western allies." But Britain, in a tweet said the budget's approval was "a clear signal of support for the organisation & its essential work, including in tackling impunity for cw (chemical weapons) use."