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Russia to play mediator on Iraq?

By Vladimir Radyuhin

MOSCOW FEB.10. With the U.S.-Europe rift over Iraq widening, Russia has suddenly been cast for an unlikely role of mediator between the quarrelling members of its erstwhile enemy, NATO.

The Russian President, Vladimir Putin, touring Germany and France at a time when the two NATO members vetoed a U.S. plan to boost Turkey's defences in case of a U.S. war on Iraq, refused to try and deepen NATO divisions, but instead called for closer unity within the anti-terror coalition.

Asked by French reporters if Russia, Germany and France could jointly form a counter-balance to the U.S., Mr. Putin said it would be a "bad scenario both for the United States and Europe." "The way the world is evolving today, we are going to face many threats of universal nature and we need to unite efforts, not divide nations, to effectively handle these threats," Mr. Putin said in an interview to France-3 channel, released by the Kremlin press service in Moscow.

The Russian leader made a clear case for keeping the U.S. engaged with the rest of the international community to prevent it from running amok. "I think we all have a stake in taking care the U. S. does not adopt an isolationist stance. This would not help us build a new world order.'' Mr. Putin said he "does not think it was worth inciting anti-American sentiments" regarding Washington's stand on Iraq. "We agree that pressure should be put on Iraq," the Russian leader said, adding at the same time that more international inspectors should be sent to Baghdad for more effective monitoring. "Russia has been uniquely positioned to act as a bridge between Europe and the U.S. on the issue of Iraq as the most influential member of the anti-terror coalition outside NATO," said Mr. Vladimir Lukin, Deputy Chairman of the State Duma, Lower House of the Russian Parliament.

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