Russia warns against US attack on Iraq
Russia’s foreign minister today joined the chorus of international voices opposed to a US attack on Iraq.
Ivan Ivanov, meeting his Iraqi counterpart Naji Sabri in Moscow, echoed Baghdad’s demands for a diplomatic settlement and spoke strongly against unilateral action.
“Any forceful solution regarding Iraq would not only complicate regulation of Iraq still further, but would also undermine the situation in the Persian Gulf and Middle East,” Ivanov said after the talks with Sabri.
Saddam Hussein has sent envoys to world capitals to try to rally opposition to a US led attack on Iraq.
President George Bush has warned the Iraqi president of unspecified consequences if he does not permit the return of UN weapons inspectors to verify that Iraq has dismantled its chemical and biological weapons and the missiles that can carry them. The inspectors left in December 1998.
As Iraq’s biggest trade partner and ally on the UN Security Council, Russia, Ivanov said Moscow welcomed “the continuation of the dialogue between Iraq and the UN Secretary General, and hopes that the dialogue will result in resumed activities by international inspectors in Iraq, and consequently, the future lifting of international sanction on Baghdad.”
In addition to complicating the already tense situation in the Middle East, Russia fears a war would jeopardise its economic interests in Iraq, which owes Moscow €7.1bn in Soviet-era debt.
Russian oil companies are actively participating in the reconstruction of Iraq’s oil infrastructure and are positioned to reap significant benefits in the future.
In Tehran, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Hamid Reza Asefi reiterated his nation’s opposition to a possible US attack against Iraq. He said that the “Iraqi people, and not a world power, should determine Iraq’s destiny.
“At the same time, Iran will not remain indifferent toward instability because if a country decides to overthrow another country’s government, this will create a norm.”
