Iraq's UN
Inspectors Offer Came Under Russian Pressure
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Allowing back UN weapons inspectors was the main idea discussed with the Iraqi leadership, Saltanov |
MOSCOW,
Aug 3 (IslamOnline & News Agencies) - A senior Russian foreign
ministry official suggested Saturday, August 3, that Iraqi President
Saddam Hussein's tentative offer to allow UN weapons inspectors back
into his country came under pressure from Moscow.
Deputy
Foreign Minister Alexander Saltanov said he discussed the issue at
length with the Iraqi leadership and several other regional powers
during his recent tour of the Middle East, Agence France-Presse (AFP)
said.
"During
my visit, we discussed a whole range of questions, including how we
can speed up the process of political dialogue," Saltanov told
the RIA Novosti state news agency.
Allowing
back UN weapons inspectors was the "main idea discussed with the
Iraqi leadership," the minister said in an interview published on
the news agency's Internet site.
"This
was relayed to the Iraqi leadership," Saltanov said.
"And
the Iraqi leadership, in recent days, has made a series of important
statements and taken serious steps aimed at introducing a beneficial
atmosphere for seeing a political solution," the diplomat said.
Saltanov
met Iraqi Foreign Minister Naji Sabri in Baghdad on July 25, and on
Thursday, august 1, Iraq made the surprise offer to invite the UN
inspector chief to Baghdad for talks.
Russia
has been one of the few nations to take a positive view of Saddam's
offer. UN weapons inspectors fled in December 1998 on the eve of the
last massive U.S.-British air strikes on Baghdad.
Russia
has been vocally opposed to U.S. military action against Iraq, which
owes eight billion dollars to Russia in Soviet-era debt and has been
one of Moscow's traditional regional allies.
Meanwhile,
a top U.S. official said Saturday that Washington's goal remained a
change of regime in Iraq even if President Saddam Hussein allows back
UN weapons inspectors, AFP said.
"Let
there be no mistake. While we also insist on the reintroduction of the
weapons inspectors, our policy at the same time insists on regime
change in Baghdad," U.S. Under Secretary of State John Bolton
said Saturday.
"That
policy will not be altered whether the inspectors go in or not,"
he said on BBC radio.
U.S.
Secretary of State Colin Powell earlier Saturday emphatically rejected
an invitation by Iraq to the chief UN weapons inspector to visit
Baghdad to discuss the resumption of inspections halted in December
1998.
As
Washington stepped up its rhetoric, the foreign ministers of the
United States' key Gulf ally Saudi Arabia and longtime foe Iran
expressed joint opposition to any U.S. strike action against their
common neighbor.
"We
have always opposed any attack against an Arab or Muslim country and
that also means Iraq," Saudi Foreign Minister Saud al-Faisal told
reporters.
"That
is Iran's position too," said his Iranian counterpart Kamal
Kharazi. "As we have said on various occasions, we are opposed to
any attack launched against a Muslim country."
German
Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder also spoke out against launching a strike
against Iraq without considering the consequences for the entire
Middle East region.
Schroeder
warned against conducting such an operation "without thinking of
the consequences, the political repercussions for the entire Middle
East."
"Whoever
gets himself involved in that should know what he is getting involved
in and what he wants to do there," said Schroeder, who is
trailing in opinion polls as Germany heads towards a general election
in September.
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