TO to expel 7 Russian diplomats

Brussels, March 27: TO became the latest entity to dismiss Russian diplomats over Moscow's alleged role in a nerve agent attack against a former double agent in Salisbury, as the trans-Atlantic organization announced on Tuesday that seven officials would have their accreditation withdrawn.

At a press conference in Brussels, Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg stated that the suspected nerve agent attack that left Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia fighting for their lives was the first of its kind on TO territory, adding that 25 TO allies and partners had expelled a total of 140 Russian diplomats in response.

"TO is unified in taking further steps. I have today withdrawn the accreditation of seven staff at the Russian mission to TO. I will also deny the pending accreditation requests for three others," the Norwegian politician was cited as saying by Efe news.

He said it sent a clear message to Russia that there were consequences to its reckless behaviour.

Moscow has vehemently denied deploying a suspected Novichok chemical against ex-spy Skripal and his daughter, but leaders of Western tions were united in their criticism of Russia for what they denounced as a "flagrant breach of intertiol law".

Chemical weapons experts were currently carrying out an alysis of the agent. (IANS)