US Senator Ben Cardin Statement on Russia Blocking UN Investigation into Use of Chemical Weapons by Syria's Assad 10/27/2017 9:40:26 AM   facebook Google+ ► Print Senator Cardin Statement on Russia vetoing UN resolution on chemical attack by Assad regime WASHINGTON, October 26, 2017   – U.S. Senator Ben Cardin (D-Md.), Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, released the following statement after Russia vetoed the renewal of a Syria chemical weapons oversight body in the UN Security Council earlier this week: “In 2015, the world came together to condemn the use of chemical weapons in Syria and set up an investigative body to hold accountable those responsible for such actions.   The Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) - Joint Investigative Mechanism (JIM) - was unanimously created by the UN Security Council and its mandate was renewed in 2016 for other year.  Despite constan...