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Missiles will not usher in democracy, says Russia

By Vladimir Radyuhin

MOSCOW MARCH 26. Russia has accused Washington of waging unjust, illegal and destructive war in Iraq leading to humanitarian catastrophe in the region.

"This war has no legal basis and is illegitimate," said the Russian Foreign Minister, Igor Ivanov, on Wednesday.

Mr. Ivanov said Russia would demand an "immediate end to the military action" in Iraq when the U.N. Security Council met to discuss the issue on Wednesday night.

"If the war continues, one can expect a humanitarian, economic and ecological catastrophe, not only in Iraq, but throughout the region in the very near future," Mr. Ivanov told the Russian Parliament's Upper House, the Federation Council.

He scorned the U.S. and British claims that their goal was to bring democracy to Iraq. "I doubt democracy can be asserted with Tomahawk missiles," he said. "They say that the Iraqi people is oppressed by the tyrant, must be liberated and given democracy.

And look how they are trying to achieve this goal: by using the most powerful weapons in history. What democracy are they talking about when they are completely destroying the country," he said.

Moscow pitched its criticism of the U.S.-led war against Iraq amid signs of new strains in Russian-American relations.

Russia accused the U.S. of reverting to the "Cold War practice" of flying spy missions near Russian borders, while Washington accused Russian companies of supplying defence equipment to Iraq.

The Russian Foreign Minister categorically denied the U.S. charges, accusing Washington of trying "to drag Russia into an information war.'

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