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RUSSIAN THREAT?
NBC, MSNBC AND NEWS SERVICES
After a Security Council meeting that saw fierce debate Thursday over whether to go to war, Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov said Friday that Russia was ready to veto a U.S.-British resolution to authorize military action. Speaking in Beijing, Ivanov said Moscow �does not support any resolution which could directly or indirectly open the way to an armed resolution of the Iraq problem.� �Russia has the right to a veto in the U.N. Security Council and will use it if it is necessary in the interests of international stability,� he said at a news conference. However, a U.S. diplomatic source suggested that Ivanov�s position might be at odds with that of President Vladimir Putin. �We continue to believe Russia would abstain, not veto� the resolution, the source said. Another official, noting that an earlier resolution passed 15-0 on Nov. 8, said: �Nobody is counting on 15-0 this time, but we think we can get to nine.� But Villepin predicted that a war resolution would lose, saying there was no majority for one on the Security Council even if none of the five powers vetoed it. |
