Russia will strongly oppose any use of force against Iraq as part of the international anti-terror campaign, Russian State Duma's International Affairs Committee Chairman Dmitry Rogozin said in Moscow on Monday, according to Xinhua.
“The United States is hardly prepared to act tough as regards to Baghdad,” the Chairman said. Rogozin met with Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister Tariq Aziz in Moscow last weekend.
The issue of a possible geographical expansion of military operations by the anti-terror coalition is essential for Russia, Rogozin conveyed. There were substantial reasons for the anti-terrorist operation against the Taliban and al Qaeda in Afghanistan, “but the situation with Iraq is different,” he stated. “Russia will strongly object to possible attempts by international inspectors to pick on Iraq and therefore provoke a tougher attitude to the presence of international observers on its national territory,” Rogozin said.
It is impermissible to use this policy [of inspections] as a reason for strikes on Iraq, he commented. If Washington uses force against Iraq, “the Americans will lose the support of its European allies, including Russia”, the Russian official warned.
It is impossible to find a local Northern Alliance agent throughout Iraq that would oppose the current administration, the Duma Chairman said. “It is senseless to strike Iraq, to bomb or to fire missiles. We have witnessed such actions, but they give nothing but a possible strengthening of the regime of President Saddam Hussein and a disappointment to Washington,” he added.
Saddam Supports Palestinian Suicide Attacks
Meanwhile, Iraqi President Saddam Hussein has said that his country supported Palestinian suicide attacks carried out against Israel, according to an AFP report, citing Iraqi state television on Sunday.
“We support Palestinian resistance and we support operations by martyrs. Let God pardon our martyrs and throw their dead [Israelis] to hell,” the Iraqi President declared while heading the weekly cabinet meeting on Sunday.
“We are grateful to everyone who offers the Palestinian people weapons and other means to exercise their right to defense,” Saddam announced.
He praised Palestinian President Yasser Arafat and the Palestinian people for defending the “holy sites of the Arabs and Palestine,” adding “those who deny the Palestinians the right to resist occupation have no honor”.
Iraq has rallied to defend the Palestinian cause, announcing the mobilization of 6.5 million volunteers for the issue of the “liberation of Palestine”.
Baghdad, which has been under an international embargo since its 1990 invasion of Kuwait, has also pledged an assistance of one billion Euro ($1.7 billion) for the Palestinians. (Albawaba.com)
© 2002 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
