BAGHDAD:
RUSSIAN INITIATIVE SPARKS OFF CHAIN REACTION
For the second time in a few days, the Portuguese press highlights a
successful Russian initiative in the complex and sensitive world of Middle
East power politics. While most of the world’s countries preferred to tread
softly, afraid of irritating the aggressive stance adopted by the USA and
supported vehemently by the UK, Russia was the first country to break
sanctions in September by sending an aeroplane to Baghdad. Since this
courageous move, more than ten countries have sent planes to Baghdad
International Airport, which starts to brush off its cobwebs of ten years of
inactivity since the Gulf War.
Since this act, other countries are lining up to fly to Baghdad and are
calling for an end to the sanctions, including France. Apart from this, the
initiative sparked off a chain reaction of diplomatic moves in the region :
Jordan’s Abdullah II and Syria’s Bashar al-Assad have stepped up relations
with Baghdad, the relationship with Iran is improving strongly, Saudi Arabia
now opens its frontier with Iraq to allow lorries to pass and Egypt intends
to open an Embassy in Baghdad.
Iraq has ceased to trade in dollars and now prefers the Euro, gaining the
favour of France, another of the countries supporting an end to the embargo
against Iraq.
At this moment in time, the USA and Britain have managed to isolate
themselves in the international community, something which until now only
Slobodan Milosevic had managed. Times are changing and new winds blow more
optimistic breezes over the Middle East in the aftermath of Russia’s
initiative.
http://english.pravda.ru/main/2000/11/29/1188.html
