Probably the best that can now be hoped for is an investigation that takes weeks or even months to report, allowing passions in the meantime to die down.

That probably is the thinking of the three European members of the G7 - Germany, France and Italy - that are pressing hardest for the investigation. Sigmar Gabriel, Germany's foreign minister, had a telephone conversation with Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov on Sunday, when Lavrov appears to have pressed the idea of an investigation on him. On the question of the need for such an investigation the Europeans, somewhat unusually, have sided with the Russians against the Americans, almost certainly because German public opinion is known to oppose the US missile strikes.

Though no one should have any high expectations of what the results of an investigation into the alleged Khan Sheikhoun attack will lead to, Russian statements since the attack do suggest that the Russians are very confident of their facts and the fact that the Europeans are calling for an investigation after the US missile strike is hardly a ringing endorsement of the US claims President Assad is guilty.

Also it is fair to point out that the UN inquiry into the attack on the humanitarian convoy in September 2016, though placed under intense pressure and working under the severest constraints, proved unexpectedly impartial, clearing the Russians entirely and suggesting the Syrians bombed the convoy by mistake. That almost certainly happened because the head of that inquiry - an Indian military officer - was a tough and principled man, who insisted on the inquiry doing its job properly. Whilst the US and its Western allies will doubtless be working overtime to ensure that any inquiry into the Khan Sheikhoun attack is not headed by such a person, since the inquiry will be set up by the UN the Russians will also have a say, and it is not completely inconceivable that it might in the end do its job properly.

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Russian President Vladimir Putin said that the current situation around Syria is reminiscent of the events preceding the beginning of the US military campaign in Iraq.

According to the President, he discussed this issue with his Italian counterpart Sergio Mattarella at the meeting, which was held on Tuesday.

"I said this is strongly reminiscent of the events of 2003, when representatives of the United States in the security Council (UN) have demonstrated, allegedly, chemical weapons discovered in Iraq. Then began a clear campaign in Iraq, and it ended with the destruction of the country, the growth of the terrorist threat and the emergence of ISIS on the international stage, no more, no less." — said Putin.

In his opinion, the same thing is happening now.

"And again their partners nod in agreement. Citing our wonderful [comedy] writers Ilf and Petrov, I want to say: "This is boring, ladies." We have all seen and watched this before." — said Putin.