Re: ...Russia is playing nice nice with Iran.....enriching uranium for commercial use, setting trade agreements, etc bla bla bla. I bet Russia fights any embargo in the UN.
Déjà vu all over again! Just remember how the Russian lap dog tergiversated during the runup to the Iraq war --all you have to do to update the article below is replace "Iraq" with "Iran":
Putin may back tough new UN resolution
By Andrew Sparrow and Julius Strauss in Moscow
(Filed: 12/10/2002)
President Vladimir Putin of Russia conceded publicly for the first time yesterday that he may back a new United Nations resolution on Iraq.
But after talks with Tony Blair in a hunting lodge outside Moscow, he repeated Russian doubts, saying he was against waging war on Iraq and had heard no compelling evidence that Baghdad possessed weapons of mass destruction.
None the less, British officials said Mr Putin's comments showed that the Security Council was "moving forward" towards a new resolution.
Russia has consistently hedged its bets over Iraq, with some Kremlin officials hinting that it is primarily concerned about the economic impact. A successful American invasion of Iraq could result in a slump in oil prices, hitting a crucial Russian export.
After initial hostility to any talk of a new UN resolution, Russia has softened its position.
Even so, Russian officials again said they opposed the American wording of a new resolution, which Britain supports, arguing that it was far too tough. The wording would have to be changed for Moscow to agree.
Mr Putin said Iraq had refused to comply with UN weapons inspections in the past and that the UN should ensure they could go back to the country.
"For this purpose, we do not exclude the possibility of coming up with some coordinated decisions, including the possibility of adopting a new Security Council resolution," he said.
But Mr Putin also said there was no legal need for a new resolution, implying that inspectors could be allowed to return under existing UN provisions. That suggested he may agree to back a UN resolution authorising force only if Saddam Hussein obstructed the inspectors, rather than before.
Despite the fact that the two leaders have spoken regularly about Iraq in recent weeks, he raised Moscow's long-standing doubts that Saddam possessed weapons of mass destruction. "Russia does not have any trustworthy data which would support the existence of nuclear weapons or weapons of mass destruction," he said.
Mr Putin acknowledged that there were "fears" that Saddam possessed such weapons but added: "Fears are one thing. The other thing is that we do not have the objective facts to back up such fears."
He also stopped short of conceding that Saddam should be presented with an ultimatum. Nor did he comment on the use of force, a cornerstone of the US-sponsored version of a new resolution.
Mr Putin appeared to dismiss the dossier that Mr Blair published last month setting out the case against Saddam. He described it as a "propagandist step" designed to appeal to the media.
Mr Blair, who has put considerable effort into developing a relationship with Mr Putin, did his best to play down the significance of their disagreements.
"There may be different perspectives about how sure we can be about Iraq's weapons of mass destruction, but there's one certain way to find out. That's to let the inspectors back in to do their job. That's the key point on which we both agree," he said.
The leaders discussed the economic consequences of military action against Iraq, a particularly important issue for Russia, which has extensive trade links with Baghdad and is owed at least £4.5 billion by Saddam.
But Mr Putin dismissed the idea that he was out to strike an economic deal with Mr Blair in return for supporting military action. "I would plead with you not to see our meeting as a bargaining place. I invited Mr Blair here to discuss all sorts of things. I have not invited him to an oriental bazaar."
Both also said Iraq was not the only item on their agenda and Mr Blair's aides said his visit had been in the diary for some time, before Saddam became a headline issue.
Mr Blair has played host to Mr Putin at Chequers, his country home, and Mr Blair's visit was a return gesture. He was accompanied by his wife, Cherie. Between meetings, the Blairs walked in the gardens with Mr Putin and his wife, Lyudmila.
After the news conference, Mr Blair's official spokesman said: "There may be differences of perspective in our relationship but we believe we are moving forward to secure a fresh mandate for the UN weapons inspectors."
In Moscow officials played up the differences. Yuri Fedotov, deputy foreign minister, said: "The American draft cannot be accepted as a foundation for a future resolution because it contains conditions known to be impossible to implement in advance.
"Before a new resolution is worked out, it should reflect the approaches of all Security Council members, including Russia."
telegraph.co.uk |
