WASHINGTON, Apr 16 (Agencies): Aides of US President Donald Trump stressed continuing US troop involvement in Syria and plans for new economic sanctions against Russia for enabling the government of Bashar Assad.
Stepping up the pressure on Syria's president, US Ambassador Nikki Haley indicated the sanctions to be announced Monday would be aimed at sending a message to Russia, which she said has blocked six attempts by the UN Security Council to make it easier to investigate the use of chemical weapons.
"Everyone is going to feel it at this point," Haley said, warning of consequences for Assad's foreign allies.
"The international community will not allow chemical weapons to come back into our everyday life," she said. "The fact he was making this more normal and that Russia was covering this up, all that has got to stop."
Meantime, inspectors from the global chemical weapons watchdog have been unable to access sites controlled by Russia and the Syrian regime in the town of Douma to investigate an attack on April 07 that killed dozens and prompted US-led missile strikes over the weekend.
The director-general of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons told a meeting of the OPCW executive council that inspectors had not been allowed to visit the town outside Damascus, the UK delegation tweeted. "Unfettered access essential. Russia & Syria must cooperate," the delegation tweeted.
According to Petter Lycke, Sweden's representative at the OPCW executive council, Syria and Russia told the inspectors that their safety could not be guaranteed.
In remarks that could indicate an attempt to bog down the OPCW team, Russia's deputy foreign minister, Sergei Ryabkov, said the inspectors will not be allowed to access the site until they produce an appropriate UN permit.
Russian military officials were at the site of the Douma attack days before the OPCW reached Damascus, leading to fears that the site might have been tampered with.
Kenneth Ward, the US ambassador to the OPCW, raised these fears on Monday, drawing a denial from the Russian foreign minster, Sergei Lavrov, who told the BBC: "I can guarantee that Russia has not tampered with the site." Lavrov also reiterated the Russian line that any attack on Douma was "staged".
Meanwhile, Russia has denied interfering with evidence at the site of a suspected Syrian government chemical weapons attack which led to Saturday's military intervention by Western states.
In an interview for BBC's Hardtalk, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said: "I can guarantee that Russia has not tampered with the site."
He spoke as the OPCW chemical weapons watchdog held an urgent meeting.
International inspectors are trying to reach the site in Douma, near Damascus.
The UK ambassador to the OPCW (Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons), Peter Wilson, quoted the agency's director-general, Ahmet Üzümcü, as saying they were still waiting.
Another AP report adds, The leaders of Russia, Iran and the Hezbollah group in Lebanon said Sunday that Western airstrikes on their ally, Syria, have complicated prospects for a political settlement to the country's seven-year conflict.
A day after the US, Britain and France bombarded sites they said were linked to a chemical weapons program, Syrian President Bashar Assad appeared briefly on state TV, seemingly unfazed by the military action - and even reportedly in high spirits.
Assad told a group of visiting Russian lawmakers that the strikes were accompanied by a campaign of "lies and misinformation" against Syria and Russia in the U.N. Security Council.
Trump tweeted Sunday that the strike was "perfectly carried out" and that "the only way the Fake News Media could demean was by my use of the term "Mission Accomplished."" He added that he knew the media would "seize" on the phrase, but said it should be used often. "It is such a great Military term, it should be brought back," he wrote.
Later Sunday, Trump sent a letter to congressional leaders informing them in writing of his decision to order the strike. Under the War Powers Resolution, the president must keep Congress informed of such actions.
Haley made clear the United States won't be pulling troops out of Syria right away, saying US involvement there "is not done."
Haley said the three US goals for accomplishing its mission are making sure chemical weapons are not used in a way that could harm US national interests, defeating the Islamic State group and having a good vantage point to watch what Iran is doing.
"We're not going to leave until we know we've accomplished those things," she said.
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