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Russia to Back US-Led UN Force in Iraq
Arab News, Svetlana Kovalyova, Reuters
MADDALENA, 31 August 2003 — Russia would support a decision to send a UN-sponsored international military force to Iraq, even under US command, Russian President Vladimir Putin said yesterday during a visit to Italy.
“Regarding the possible participation of international forces in Iraq under US command, we don’t see anything wrong with this,” Putin told a news conference on the island of Maddalena, near the holiday haven of Sardinia.
“It is possible, but it would require a decision from the UN Security Council,” he said.
Russia, along with permanent Security Council members Germany and France, opposed the US-led war that ousted Iraqi President Saddam Hussein. The three countries now favor a larger role for the United Nations in Iraq.
Speaking at a formal briefing in the Mediterranean island of Maddalena after relaxed talks in Sardinia on Friday, Putin did not say whether Moscow would be willing to send its own troops to Iraq as part of a UN-sponsored force. Earlier yesterday, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Yuri Fedotov told Interfax news agency it would be premature to speak of a role for Russia in a future UN military contingent.
“First of all it is necessary to clarify details and then decide,” Fedotov was quoted as saying. “We are ready to discuss the different variations, formats... We are (waiting for) new decisions to be taken by the Security Council in order to determine our standpoint on this question.”
Washington, long opposed to the idea of a UN-sponsored international force in Iraq, has recently softened its position as it tries to stabilize the country. Since US President George W. Bush declared major combat over in May, US troops in Iraq have faced persistent guerrilla attacks and the Iraqi oil industry has been plagued by sabotage.
Putin told reporters Moscow would back a fresh UN resolution to help form a new political leadership in Iraq and hold democratic elections, though questions remain over whether Washington would be willing to share control over post-war Iraq.
“We are in constant talks and consultations with our partners in the United States as well as in Europe,” Putin said yesterday after a visit to Russian warships. “The day before yesterday I spoke with German Chancellor (Gerhard) Schroeder.”
Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, currently at the helm of the EU’s rotating presidency, said an October European Council meeting would help the bloc mend fences after Iraq.
“We are working to find common ground between European countries and to again find common ground with the United States,” he told the press conference. Berlusconi, who greeted Putin with friendly bear hugs and jokes, has billed the Russian leader’s visit to his holiday villa as a boost to efforts to bring Moscow closer to Brussels. A Russia-EU meeting is scheduled in Rome in November.
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| Earth, a planet hungry for peace |
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| The Israeli apartheid (security) wall around Palestinian population centers (Ran Cohen, pmc, 5/24/03). |
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| The Israeli apartheid (security) wall around Palestinian population centers in the West Bank (Ran Cohen, pmc, 5/24/03). |
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