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http://www.thescotsman.co.uk/international.cfm?id=1048692002 The Scotsman September 21, 2002 Russians stand up to Bush on Baghdad arms inspections CHRIS STEPHEN in Moscow and FOREIGN STAFF -Russians noted with irony earlier this year that President Bush's "Evil Axis" of Iran, Iraq and North Korea are nations Russia has established key partnerships with in a bid to revive its fortunes. In the past 12 months Moscow has made deals to supply nuclear power and weapons to Iran and North Korea, and a huge potential trade deal was set to begin worth billions of pounds. But the deals have been scuppered by talk of war. There had been hopes, before 11 September last year, that UN sanctions in Iraq would be eased, allowing Russia to start trading with Iraq, with Russian companies hoping for large orders. In fact, the US and Russia may be heading for a clash - albeit diplomatic, rather than military - over influence in the great band of territory stretching from southeast Asia through to the Middle East. Moscow has watched in alarm - but without protest, such as closure of airspace - as the United States has built bases this year in former Soviet republics Georgia, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan, casting the US shadow firmly over Central Asia's oil fields. Mr Putin has meanwhile overseen huge arms contracts, not just with North Korea and Iran, but also with India, China, Vietnam and even South Korea, traditionally a US ally. US President George Bush pressed Russia yesterday to drop objections to a tough, new UN Security Council resolution against Iraq - but there was no sign of a breakthrough between the former Cold War foes. Mr Bush met in the Oval Office with Igor Ivanov, the Russian foreign minister, and Sergei Ivanov, the defence minister, after a telephone conversation with Russia's President Vladimir Putin, who was on a working holiday at a Black Sea resort. Ari Fleischer, the White House spokesman, reported no agreement. He predicted however that in the end the Security Council would reach agreement on a new resolution after further diplomatic consultations. But Mr Putin gave no public sign of buckling to US pressure on the need for a new resolution against Iraq, telling Mr Bush that it was "vital to concentrate on the fastest possible deployment of UN inspection and monitoring missions" to Iraq. Colin Powell, the US secretary of state, denied any rift with the Russians on the question of how to handle Iraq. Mr Bush has warned that if the United Nations does not act, the United States will go it alone with key allies. "We are in a conversation about how to bring Iraq into compliance with UN resolutions of the last 11 or 12 years. We are going to try to move forward together," Mr Powell said. However, this will not be easy. Russians noted with irony earlier this year that President Bush's "Evil Axis" of Iran, Iraq and North Korea are nations Russia has established key partnerships with in a bid to revive its fortunes. In the past 12 months Moscow has made deals to supply nuclear power and weapons to Iran and North Korea, and a huge potential trade deal was set to begin worth billions of pounds. But the deals have been scuppered by talk of war. There had been hopes, before 11 September last year, that UN sanctions in Iraq would be eased, allowing Russia to start trading with Iraq, with Russian companies hoping for large orders. In fact, the US and Russia may be heading for a clash - albeit diplomatic, rather than military - over influence in the great band of territory stretching from southeast Asia through to the Middle East. Moscow has watched in alarm - but without protest, such as closure of airspace - as the United States has built bases this year in former Soviet republics Georgia, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan, casting the US shadow firmly over Central Asia's oil fields. Mr Putin has meanwhile overseen huge arms contracts, not just with North Korea and Iran, but also with India, China, Vietnam and even South Korea, traditionally a US ally. As Mr Bush tried to persuade the Russians, he faced dissent on Capitol Hill, where there was grousing from some Democrats about some of the wording of the proposed congressional resolution Mr Bush offered seeking authorisation for use of military force against Iraq. They said a passage that would authorise Mr Bush to "restore international peace and security in the region" was a blank cheque for military adventures beyond Iraq's borders. "I cannot believe the gall and the arrogance of the White House in requesting such a broad grant of war powers. This is the worst kind of election-year politics," said Democratic Senator Robert Byrd of West Virginia. Senator Joseph Lieberman, a Connecticut Democrat, said he expected Congress to make some changes in the draft resolution so it could win broad bipartisan approval by early October. The White House said Mr Bush intended the resolution only to deal with the threat posed by Iraq. Despite the flap, a version of the resolution is expected to be approved by Congress before the 5 November mid-term elections. Iraq's offer this week to readmit UN arms inspectors after a four-year hiatus, made under international pressure, divided the Security Council and slowed Mr Bush's drive for a new mandate for unfettered inspections backed by force. One dissenting voice among US allies, German Chancellor Gerhard Schr�der, last night wrote to Mr Bush to apologise for the offence caused by reports that his justice minister had compared Mr Bush's methods to Hitler's. Herta Daeubler-Gmelin, the German justice minister, had earlier denied a report in a regional newspaper that she had told a pre-election gathering that, by threatening to attack Iraq, Mr Bush wanted to distract from his domestic political problems, as Hitler had. Mr Schr�der told Mr Bush: "I want to let you know how much I regret the fact that alleged comments by the German justice minister have given an impression that has offended you." He said he had accepted Ms Daeubler-Gmelin's denial and added, according to a German text provided by his office: "Let me assure you that there is no place at my cabinet table for anyone who makes a connection between the American president and such a criminal." __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Yahoo! Finance - Get real-time stock quotes http://finance.yahoo.com --------------------------- ANTI-NATO INFORMATION LIST ==^================================================================ This email was sent to: [email protected] EASY UNSUBSCRIBE click here: http://topica.com/u/?a84x2u.bacIlu Or send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] T O P I C A -- Register now to manage your mail! http://www.topica.com/partner/tag02/register ==^================================================================
