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Article snippet: A confrontation that is looming at the United Nations between the United States and Russia could jeopardize an international investigation into chemical attacks in Syria, notably a deadly sarin bombing in a rebel-held village last April. There is no dispute that sarin, a lethal nerve agent banned by an international treaty Syria has signed, was used in the April 4 attack in the village of Khan Sheikhoun in northern Idlib Province that killed and sickened hundreds. But Russia, the Syrian government’s most important ally, has cast doubts on Western assertions that President Bashar al-Assad’s forces dropped a bomb containing the poison. If a report by the panel, due next Thursday, finds Mr. Assad’s side responsible, the Russians have indicated they will use their veto power in the United Nations Security Council to terminate the mandate of the panel leading the investigation. The panel, whose mandate expires in November, is the only mechanism for establishing accountability for chemical weapons atrocities in Syria. This week, Nikki R. Haley, the American ambassador to the United Nations, proposed moving up a Security Council vote to extend the panel’s mandate for a year — before the report’s expected release on Thursday. “This should not be controversial, but some Council members have decided to make it so,” Ms. Haley said in a statement. “Basing the renewal on the contents of the next report, which the Russians would like to do, politicizes the process. We can’t wo... Link to the full article to read more