"Even in its dying throes, the (Iraqi) regime did not use weapons of mass destruction. We still don't know that it had any," Putin said

SAINT PETERSBURG, April 12 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) - The leaders of Russia, Germany and France, who insisted that only the United Nations has the legitimacy to reconstruct Iraq, are to conclude Saturday, April 12, a two-day "peace camp" summit likely to further antagonize the United States.

Russian President Vladimir Putin, German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder and French President Jacques Chirac are each due to give a speech on the final day of their meeting here, after having voiced plans for post-war Iraq that differed markedly from that of Washington, reported Agence France-Presse (AFP).

The positions of the anti-war trio on Iraq "have not changed," Putin said late Friday, April 11, after holding a first day of talks with his guests.

"The main thing now is to restore civilian life and to resolve humanitarian problems.

"We believe all these issues should be resolved under the aegis of the United Nations," he told journalists in Russia's second city Saint Petersburg.

"Only they (United Nations) have the necessary legitimacy" to rebuild Iraq, stressed Chirac.

The reconstruction has to happen "under the umbrella of the United Nations. We need to work out the details with the coalition but we need to agree on the concept," said Schroeder.

The comments by the three European powers that fiercely opposed the U.S.-led war on Iraq are likely to put them on a fresh collision course with Washington over the best way to handle the aftermath of the war.

Under Washington's plans, retired U.S. general Jay Garner is expected to run Iraq's postwar interim administration.

After an initial phase that is expected to last at least six months, he would turn over the country's administration to an interim Iraqi authority made up of a broad spectrum of Iraqi political groups.

But Putin dismissed the notion that the insistence of the anti-war camp on a central role for the U.N. would further fracture bruised transatlantic relations.

"The goal of our meeting is not to rupture the international community," he said, but rather is part of "the search for international security in the 21st century."

"We are not going to export capitalist, democratic revolutions," Putin said.

"If we do, we're going to end up on a slippery slope to non-ending military conflicts. We can't let that happen."

He then went on to specifically warn against any foreign attempts to carry out regime change in Syria, even as U.S. criticisms against Damascus have steadily increased over the past few days.

"It is up to the U.S. and British forces, as powerful occupiers, to maintain order," Chirac charged

Chirac, for his part, implicitly criticized U.S. and British forces for failing to rein in looters in Iraq amid a collapse of law and order.

"In accordance with the laws of war, it is up to the U.S. and British forces, as powerful occupiers, to maintain order and create the conditions for the provision of humanitarian aid," he said.

"I don't want to talk about the past," Schroeder said.

"We have to make (a military victory in Iraq) a lasting victory for Iraqis and for the whole region."

Failure 

Putin on Friday criticized the U.S.-led forces for failing to uncover any of the alleged weapons of mass destruction Washington has accused Iraq of harboring.

Putin, referring to the U.S.-led troops that invaded Iraq on March 20, told reporters: "Had I been in their place, I would wish I had found something. It is strange that nothing has been found yet."

He stressed that until Iraq's alleged weapons were found, the U.S.-British objective "has not been achieved."

"Even in its dying throes, the regime did not use weapons of mass destruction. We still don't know that it had any," Putin underlined.

Washington said the threat represented by Baghdad's supposed arsenal of nuclear, biological and chemical weapons justified its invasion of Iraq even without a U.N. mandate.

Russia, Germany and France bitterly opposed the U.S. push for war, arguing that peaceful methods of disarming Iraq were proving successful and had not yet been exhausted.

The United States has said it will form its own teams of weapons inspectors to seek out Iraq's alleged weapons stockpile, but Putin insisted that Iraq's full disarmament could not be achieved "unless U.N. inspectors return to Iraq."

Iraqi Debts No Problem

Putin also asserted that Moscow was ready to look into the possibility of forgiving Iraq billions of euros in debt.

"We are prepared to look into this question. We are prepared to discuss this," Putin told reporters.

This came a day after a leading U.S. official suggested Russia should now forget about ever winning back its debts from Iraq.

Commenting on the statement by U.S. Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz, Putin said that it was "understandable -- Russia does not object to the question being raised."

Putin said this question should be settled by the Paris Club of public creditors and the G8 group of the world's richest countries, which is to hold a summit in June in the French town of Evian.

"The best way is in the framework of the Paris Club," Putin said.

Officials "can start discussing the question at the G8 summit," he added.

Iraq's debt to Russia stands at around eight billion dollars (7.4 billion euros) and has grown to some 16 billion dollars (15 billion euros), if interest payments are included.

"I hope for example they'll think about the very large debts that come from money that was lent to Saddam Hussein to buy weapons," and then write off those debts in a gesture to help Iraq rebuild, Wolfowitz told Congress.