World risks new 'Cold War' after nerve agent attack, Russian ambassador says

Russia's ambassador toAustralia said on Wednesday the world will enter into a "ColdWar situation" should the West continue its bias against Moscowin response to the nerve agent attack against a former Sovietspy in Britain.

"The West must understand that the anti-Russian campaign hasno future," Russian Ambassador Grigory Logvinov told reportersin Canberra."If it continues, we will be deeply in a Cold Warsituation."

Russia denies any part in the March 4 nerve agent attack onformer spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter in Salisbury, England.

Canada, the U.S.and governments across Europe areexpelling Russian diplomats en masse in response.

Australia said on Tuesday it would expel two Russiandiplomats, prompting Logvinov's impromptu address to the media on Wednesday morning.

Logvinov rejected accusations that Moscow was behind theattack and said Russia has yet to decide on its response to thediplomatic action by British allies.

Britain has "stubbornly" refused to provide evidence, he said, and hasnot followed "provisionsand protocol of the Convention on Prohibition of ChemicalWeapons."

Logvinov's comments were similar to those made by another Russian diplomatat aUN conference last week.Denis Davydovsaid Britain was not living up to its obligations by failing to share evidence with Moscow on the case.

British Ambassador Matthew Rowland disagreed thatRussia had a right to see the evidence, accusing Russiaof trying to confuse the picture with misleading procedural arguments.

'We're not concealing anything'

Meanwhile, Russia's ambassador to Indonesia, Lyudmila GeorgievnaVorobieva, said Wednesday the situation surrounding the Skripal case and the expulsions of Russian diplomats was "absolutely absurd."

Speaking to reporters in the capital, Jakarta,she warned that the confrontation could leadnot to a Cold Warbut to an "ice war."

"Do we want that? Well, I can tell you from Russia's sidedefinitely we don't want that, because if we take into account the number of nuclear weapons accumulated by the country thiskind of development would be fatal for our planet."

Russia wanted to co-operate in the investigation of theattack on the Skripals "in a very transparent way,"she said, but added that Russian consular access to the two in hospital inBritain had been denied.

"We're not concealing anything," Vorobieva said.

Indonesia has not expelled any Russian diplomats, andVorobieva said Russia appreciated its "balanced positions" and the fact it was not "jumping to any conclusions."