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Putin said no to Bush and Blair plans to strike
Iraq
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PARIS,
Sept 6 (IslamOnline & News Agencies) - French President Jacques
Chirac Friday, September 06, 2002, again insisted that any military
action against Iraq be taken with UN approval, in a telephone call
with U.S. counterpart George W. Bush. Also, Russian President Vladimir
Putin brushed aside a joint charm offensive launched by Bush and
British Prime Minister Tony Blair, dismissing their arguments for a
military assault on Iraq.
Chirac's
office said he told Bush the international community needed to show
determination in dealing with Baghdad, which Washington suspects of
secretly developing weapons of mass destruction, according to Agence
France-Presse (AFP).
"The
attitude of the international community should be determined and its
reaction should be clearly legitimate," Chirac spokeswoman
Catherine Colonna quoted him as saying.
The
French leader reiterated his call for the immediate and unconditional
return of UN weapons inspectors to Iraq, describing arms control as
"indispensable for regional security."
Chirac
said that if Iraqi President Saddam Hussein refused to readmit the
inspectors, "it's up to the Security Council to take appropriate
measures."
Putin,
for his part, was adamant in his refusal for any military action
against Iraq.
The
Kremlin said Bush and Blair called Putin within minutes of each other
as they pressed on with their campaign to win international support
for a controversial strike to unseat Saddam Hussein's regime in
Baghdad.
The
Kremlin announced that Putin said no to both of them.
The
message highlights tensions emerging in Moscow's decision to join the
U.S.-led anti-terror alliance following the September 11 strikes on
the United States, amid confusion within Russian military circles over
what the partnership might mean.
However,
political analysts, in Moscow, had long predicted that Putin would
make such a tough public delivery on Iraq and suggest it was only made
for local consumption - and treated as such by the West.
Putin's
comments to Bush and Blair, as it was relayed by the Kremlin, were
nearly identical.
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Chirac retierated rejection to unilateral military action against Iraq |
"In
the course of the discussions, the President expressed his serious
doubts concerning the basis - both in international law, and the
global-political sense - of using force against Iraq," top
Kremlin spokesman Alexei Gromov said of Putin's discussion with Bush.
Bush
on Friday spoke by telephone with Russian President Vladimir Putin and
Chinese President Jiang Zemin ahead of a meeting with British Prime
Minister Tony Blair at his country retreat of Camp David, near
Washington, Saturday, September 7.
Britain,
China, France, Russia and the United States are the five permanent
members of the UN Security Council.
To
Blair, Putin underlined the potential for a political solution to the
Iraqi problem and expressed "deep doubts about the justification
of the use of force against Iraq," top Kremlin spokesman Alexei
Gromov said.
Downing
Street announced only that "the Prime Minister is keeping in
touch with his colleagues on the present international situation"
while there was no initial feedback on the Bush-Putin phone talk from
Washington.
The
conversations followed a raid Thursday by U.S. and British warplanes
on an Iraqi air defense base that was denounced by the Russian Foreign
Ministry as "complicating the already-difficult situation
surrounding Iraq."
Blair
will arrive in Russia next month for a personal meeting with Putin
focused on Iraq. Neither London nor Moscow confirmed the date for the
visit.
Blair
said Tuesday, September 3, that he would release in the coming weeks
damning information on Baghdad's alleged efforts to develop nuclear,
biological and chemical weapons, a move designed to prove the threat
posed by Iraq.
Bush
labeled Iraq part of an "axis of evil" sponsoring terrorism
and developing weapons of mass destruction, while Russia demanded to
see firm proof that Iraq is developing or harboring weapons of mass
destruction before agreeing to any attack.
During
a diplomatic tour by Iraqi Foreign Minister Naji Sabri to rally
support against the U.S. military threat that took him to Moscow this
week, his Russian counterpart Igor Ivanov condemned the U.S. threats
but offered vague language on other issues.
Most
markedly, Ivanov endorsed the notion of taking "pre-emptive
measures" against global terrorism, but only through the United
Nations or other bodies.
Those
comments strongly hinted of a reluctant acceptance of U.S. arguments
to launch a military assault aimed at unseating Saddam's regime.
Ivanov's
talks with Sabri came against the backdrop of sensitive Western press
reports about secret meetings in Washington between Moscow diplomats
and senior Iraqi opposition figures.
The
Russian Foreign Minister confirmed the reports but said their
significance was overblown by the Western press.
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