To: Ed Huang who wrote (5100 ) 5/20/2004 5:09:30 AM From: GUSTAVE JAEGER Read Replies (1) | Respond to of 22250 Re: Shall we preempt strike Russia first? HOW COULD YOU??? SHAME ON YOU ED!!! That message was a COPY/PASTE/EDIT of the following:Putin: Iraq Is Our Old Friend and Partner MOSCOW (Dispatches) -- Russian President Vladimir Putin hailed the development of relations between Moscow and Baghdad during a meeting Monday with Iraqi Foreign Minister Tareq Aziz, amid pressure from Washington to break their ties. "Iraq is our old and stable partner," Putin said during the Kremlin meeting. "We know that the leaders of Iraq attach great importance to the development of relations with Russia, and we are grateful," Putin said. He added that trade between the two countries rose by 70 percent over the past two years, AFP reported. Russia is rebuilding the Osiraq nuclear reactor in Iraq despite fierce protests from the United States. Tareq Aziz's visit came days after Iraq's atomic energy deputy chief came to Moscow in a bid to accelerate Osiraq's construction project. Russia took on the Osiraq project from France's Alsthom company, which first began the plant's construction in 1974 before Israel bombed it in 1980. Tareq Aziz for his part said he was satisfied with how ties were developing between Moscow and Baghdad. "To our happiness, relations between Iraq and Russia are developing positively, and this is a result of the political will shown by the leaders of our two countries," Tareq Aziz said. "Russia and Iraq can cooperate not only bilaterally, but also on international and regional problems, and we are fully prepared to work together with Russia in this direction," the Iraqi foreign minister said.