US President Mr George W Bush called the Kremlin last night to push for support in the sharpening crisis over Iraq, as Washington cranked up the pressure on Moscow not to block a resolution sanctioning military action against Baghdad.
President Vladimir Putin's press service said the leaders "exchanged views" on the arms impasse, and "underlined the fundamental significance of supporting and developing the positive strategic potential of Russian-American relations," on a day when the US ambassador here said Moscow could suffer major financial and diplomatic damage if it scuttled US plans for a potential attack on Iraq. "There is a big difference between a veto and a decision to abstain by Russia in the event of a vote," US envoy Mr Alexander Vershbow told Izvestia newspaper. "Russia should carefully weigh all the consequences."
He said bluntly that Russia's use of its veto could sully a growing relationship between the old Cold War enemies in fields ranging from energy production to the International Space Station and the US-led "war against terror".
"It would be a great pity if progress in these areas is halted, or actually reversed, because of serious disagreements over Iraq," Mr Vershbow said. "Unfortunately, [a veto\] would have certain consequences for our relations." He also warned Russia that the major deals signed by its energy firms to develop Iraq's huge oil reserves would be at risk in a post-war Iraq, if the US was forced to work around Russian opposition to its drive to disarm Baghdad.
"Our principal position is that Iraq's oil riches belong to the Iraqi people," Mr Vershbow said. "I suppose that the position of a new Iraqi government will depend on what contribution this or that country makes to resolving the current crisis." Russia, alongside fellow veto-wielding members of the Security Council France and China, opposes a draft resolution from the United States, Britain and Spain that would give Iraq until Monday to destroy its alleged weapons of mass destruction or face war. Moscow has said it will study any revised resolution, but favours intensified weapons inspections by UN monitors who last week reported increasing cooperation from Baghdad.
Russia has pledged to vote against the current draft resolution, but Deputy Foreign Minister Mr Georgi Mamedov said yesterday that Moscow did not want to further divide a fractious international community and risk open confrontation with the US by deploying its veto.
"Russia is hoping to avoid the use of its veto. It would mean the collapse of diplomatic efforts and leave only military actions," Mr Mamedov was quoted as saying by Kyodo news agency after meeting Japanese officials in Tokyo. He also said Russia opposed regime change in Baghdad, but insisted that the Gulf standoff should not do lasting damage to US-Russian relations.