MOSCOW, March 22 (Islamonline.net & News Agencies) - Russia deployed fighter jets Saturday, March 22, to track a U.S. spy plane that nearly entered its territory for the third time in the past month, a Russian defense ministry spokesman said.

"Today Russian anti-aircraft forces detected and tracked a U.S. spy plane flying near the Russian border," Nikolai Deryabin told Interfax news agency. "Two fighter jets were deployed to escort it."

Deryabin stressed the U.S. plane came within 30 kilometers (18 miles) of the Russian border with Georgia.

Russia registered similar flights on February 27 and March 7.

"Frequent flights by U.S. spy planes near the Russian border in the current complicated situation are worrying," Deryabin said.

Georgia signed a deal with the United States in late 2001 allowing regular over flights, mainly to Cyprus and Afghanistan.

Georgian President Eduard Shevardnadze said last week he was ready to offer the United States use of his country's air bases for war on Iraq.

Tbilisi and Washington stepped up military cooperation as part of the "war on terror" following the September 11 attacks, with Washington dispatching military instructors to train Georgian troops for “anti-terrorist operations”.

Meanwhile, Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov dismissed a U.S. request to expel Iraqi diplomats and accused Washington of trying to seize control over Iraq's oil wealth and push aside Russian and other non-U.S. companies.

Ivanov also stressed that casualties of the first days of the war confirmed it was "indeed a big mistake" and said Russia would oppose any attempts to give a U.S. occupation of Iraq international legitimacy through the United Nations .

"Iraq does not need democracy brought on the wings of Tomahawks," Ivanov said, adding that that the U.S. strikes had caused civilian casualties, the destruction of historical monuments and the exodus of refugees.

Ivanov said Washington's request to expel Iraqi diplomats appeared to be part of a U.S. strategy to trample on existing oil contracts between Iraq and non-U.S. companies by declaring Saddam's regime illegal.

"We will have to defend our interests so that the contracts which were signed under Saddam Hussein are not annulled as lacking legal force and to make sure the Iraqi debt owed us is respected," he stressed.

Baghdad owes Moscow at least US$7 billion in Soviet-era debt and has awarded lucrative oil contracts to Russia's oil companies.

Ivanov said Moscow had received no answer to its request for clarification about the expulsion demand and said Russian officials had no reason to take action against Iraqi Ambassador Abbas Khalaf.

He pointed out that there would be many in the United States "who after bombing Iraq would like to profit from its resources" despite Washington's statements that the country's oil riches belong to the Iraqi people.

Ivanov said Washington would likely seek to legitimize an occupation of Iraq with a resolution by the U.N. Security Council.

"Russia will oppose any direct or indirect attempt to legitimize the ongoing military action," he assured.