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Politics : Foreign Affairs Discussion Group -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Elsewhere who wrote (80918)	3/10/2003 12:30:37 PM
From: FaultLine	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 281500

Russian minister vows Iraq veto edition.cnn.com MOSCOW, Russia (CNN) --Russia has said for the first time that it will vote against a new resolution on Iraq at the U.N. Security Council, a move that would veto the U.S.-sponsored measure. Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov said Monday that Russia had not heard any reason for using force against Iraq and that there was no need for another resolution. The U.S. and British-backed amendment gives Iraqi President Saddam Hussein a March 17 deadline to disarm. In Washington White House spokesman Ari Fleischer said: "The president would indeed be disappointed if Russia were to veto. "The president would look at this as a missed opportunity for Russia to take an important moral stand to defend freedom, and to prevent the risk of a massive catastrophe taking place as a result of Saddam Husseins' weapons of mass destruction." Ivanov did not use the word "veto" and his boss, President Vladimir Putin, who has the ultimate decision on the matter, has not said what Russia will do. But CNN's Moscow Bureau Chief Jill Dougherty said the statement, which is the strongest yet from the Kremlin, seems to represent the government's current position. Washington had spent the weekend lobbying in support of the measure -- proposed by Britain and backed by the United States -- that would give Iraq until March 17 to disarm or face likely military action. U.S. government officials told Security Council members Sunday to prepare for a vote by Tuesday on the resolution, but they face an uphill battle as France, Russia and China -- veto-wielding permanent members of the Security Council -- all now say a new resolution is unnecessary. The resolution calls on Baghdad to hand over to U.N. inspectors "all weapons, delivery, support systems and structures" prohibited under U.N. resolutions as well as "all information regarding the destruction of such items." Saddam denies that he has such weapons. When the deadline arrives, the Security Council would decide whether Iraq has complied. If they determine it has not, council members could issue a statement to that effect, and the "serious consequences" threatened in previous resolutions -- most likely, U.S.-led military action -- would follow. "Today it's clear that we have a real chance to answer all the questions about Iraq within months, not even years and solve all the problems diplomatically. There is also the second way of doing that, the way suggested by those who support the use of force. But we don't see any arguments justifying it," Ivanov said at the Moscow State Linguistics University, where he was receiving an honorary doctorate. Ivanov said only "international inspectors" can say whether or not Iraq has weapons of mass destruction. He pointed out that Resolution 1441 "was unanimously accepted" by the Security Council. He said the inspections teams include scientists from many countries, saying "they are international officials, they do not represent any particular country." "We think that inspectors should continue their work in Iraq and no additional resolutions are needed. Russia is openly stating that if that draft of the resolution containing categorical uncultivable demands that was submitted to the U.N. is put on the vote, Russia will vote against it." President Putin Monday fielded another telephone call from an ally in the Security Council opposing a new resolution authorizing the use of force against Iraq. After a Sunday night call from French President Jacques Chirac, Putin spoke Monday to German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder. In both cases, the Kremlin said the leaders agreed that the international inspectors' reports show a peaceful resolution to the Iraqi crisis was possible. In Baghdad, Russian Parliamentary Speaker Gennady Seleznyov Monday told reporters he had a "verbal message" from Putin for Saddam, according to Russia's Interfax news agency. Seleznyov also told reporters the opportunity for a peaceful settlement of the Iraqi crisis was "not exhausted," Interfax said.