Russia Unconvinced of Assad's Role in Syria Gas Attack, Want Independent Investigation

Western powers say UN report provides irrefutable evidence

Russia remains unconvinced that Syria's President Bashar Assad's military is responsible for the Aug. 21 chemical weapons attack on the eastern Ghouta suburbs of Damascus, in spite of a United Nations report on the incident which the U.S., Britain and France say amounts to irrefutable evidence.

"We want the events of the 21st of August to be impartially, objectively, professionally investigated," said Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Tuesday, arguing that the Syrian regime's claim it was rebels who launched the poison gas attack could not be dismissed based on the evidence available.