Russia says war on Iraq would be 'mistake'

Russian President Vladimir Putin said today the Iraqi crisis should be resolved peacefully and that any other approach would be a mistake.

"We would like to resolve it through political and diplomatic means," he told reporters.

This will not only bring about human casualties but also destabilise the international community in general Russian President Vladimir Putin

"I am convinced that any other solution would be a mistake."

Mr Putin, who has made only rare public statements on Iraq at home, added: "This will not only bring about human casualties but also destabilise the international community in general."

He went on: "There are 20 million Muslims living in Russia. We can not afford not to consider their opinion and we fully share their alarm."

The United States accuses President Saddam Hussein of developing banned weapons of mass destruction and has threatened to go to war to disarm Iraq.

Russia, a veto-wielding member of the UN Security Council, has sided with fellow members France and Germany in calling for UN arms inspectors to be allowed more time to search Iraq for such weapons.