German official warns against "spiral of escalation" over Skripal poisoning

BERLIN, April 5 (Xinhua) -- Gernot Erler, the German government's official representative for Russian affairs, has issued a warning on Thursday against further Western escalation in response to the poisoning of former Russian agent Sergei Skripal.

"I think one must realize the risk of a spiral of escalation, and say, let's take a break," Erler told the public broadcaster ARD.

He emphasized that the results from an investigation carried out by the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) would only become available as of next week.

The OPCW was asked to contribute its own independent expertise to the Skripal case by the British government after local investigators failed to detect any evidence that the chemical agent used in the incident was produced in Russia. Erler argued that it was important to maintain open channels of communication with Moscow until there was greater clarity.

According to the German representative, the onus was now on London to provide proof to substantiate the serious accusations it had made against Russia so far. Following a British and U.S.-led initiative, several Western countries including Germany have already expelled over 130 of Russian diplomats in an unprecedented diplomatic move.

Several senior German politicians have since attacked Berlin for what they perceive as a hasty move grounded in assumptions rather than fact.

Moscow interprets the poisoning of Skripal and his daughter as a conspiracy by U.S. and British intelligence services to raise pressure on Russia. A special session of the United Nations (UN) security council is scheduled to discuss the case on Thursday. Enditem