The Hindu : Russia vows to block war resolution

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Mar 08, 2003

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International

Russia vows to block war resolution

By Vladimir Radyuhin

MOSCOW MARCH 7. Russia has reiterated its resolve to block the United States-British war resolution on Iraq, despite mounting pressure from Washington.

The Russian President, Vladimir Putin, told the U.S. President, George W. Bush, that Moscow was determined to press for a peaceful settlement of the Iraqi crisis.

Mr. Bush called the Russian leaders overnight to try and soften Russia's rejection of the war option hours ahead of a U.N. debate on Iraq.

However, he failed to sway Mr. Putin. ``The Russian side reaffirmed its consistent position in favour of a peaceful solution: It was stressed that all means exist for such a solution and these can be strengthened and augmented if U.N. inspectors require it,'' the Kremlin press service said in a statement.

Moscow also said today it would not support a compromise resolution mooted by Britain if it were just a ploy to win approval for war against Iraq.

``We believe that a military operation would be a tragic mistake and we are against it,'' the Russian Deputy Foreign Minister, Georgy Mamedov, told a press conference in Moscow.

At the same time, he said Russia was ready to discuss the British proposal ``if it is aimed at finding a political solution.''

A senior U.S. diplomat today repeated Washington's threats to punish Russia if it vetoed the U.S.-backed resolution.

The diplomat told the Interfax news agency that "there would be inevitable costs attached to a veto.'' A day earlier, another unnamed American diplomat said the U.S. could block Russia's accession to the World Trade Organisation, retain cold-war trade restrictions against Russia and lock it out of post-war Iraq.

Reuters reports:

The call between Mr. Bush and Mr. Putin coincided with U.S. Senate ratification yesterday of a treaty intended to reduce the nuclear arsenals of the two countries.

A Russian Foreign Ministry statement welcomed approval of the treaty signed last year in Moscow by Mr. Putin and Mr. Bush and praised the document as a ``landmark agreement in terms of real and radical nuclear disarmament''.

It said that once it was ratified by Russia's Parliament, the treaty would become ``an important factor of strategic stability and global security''.

Foreign Ministers from all major countries were expected to attend the new Security Council debate devoted to a new report on progress made by U.N. inspectors in seeking out dangerous weapons in Iraq.

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