Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister Mr Tareq Aziz has cut short a stay in Russia and left for home, Itar-Tass news agency said today, quoting the Iraqi embassy.
Tass quoted the embassy as saying that Mr Aziz, making his second visit to Moscow in a week, had been due to hold talks with Foreign Minister Mr Igor Ivanov but abruptly decided to leave for Baghdad.
The agency quoted observers as saying his departure could be linked to the Iraqi leadership's intention to hold consultations about accusations against Iraq made by US President Mr George W. Bush in his State of the Union address on Tuesday.
The report could not be independently confirmed. Iraqi embassy officials were not available for comment and the Russian Foreign Ministry would not confirm that talks between Mr Aziz and Mr Ivanov had been scheduled.
Russia has led efforts to persuade Iraq to allow UN arms monitors back into the country and clear the way for decade-old sanctions to be lifted.