RUSSIA: Russia stepped up the evacuation of its citizens from Baghdad yesterday, even as its politicians expressed confidence that today's key United Nations meeting in New York would block the route to a possible US-led war on Iraq, writes Dan McLaughlin, in Moscow.
"The situation is difficult and is increasingly more so," said Deputy Foreign Minister Mr Alexander Saltanov, "and we believe we cannot put our citizens in such circumstances. That is why. . . (we) are taking steps to evacuate our citizens from Iraq." He said the Emergencies Ministry would operate five Baghdad-Moscow flights before Monday, to bring home most of the 700 or so Russians still in Baghdad.
But the move did not mean Russia was resigned to war, Mr Saltanov said, ahead of today's progress report from chief UN arms inspector Mr Hans Blix on his search for Iraq's alleged cache of weapons of mass destruction.
"We work on the assumption that there is a very strong potential for resolving the Iraqi issue in a peaceful way," he said, adding that, for Russia and most of the UN Security Council members, resolutions "that would directly or indirectly open a way to a forcible action against Iraq are unacceptable". Mr Saltanov said Iraq was not a serious danger to world security, "especially when the international community has restored its control over Iraq's prohibited military programmes through inspections", Itar-Tass news agency reported.
But Russia again sidestepped when asked whether it would veto a new US-sponsored resolution threatening Baghdad with war if it fails to disarm.
"This is a very powerful measure," Mr Saltanov said. "For that reason, every time there is a question as to whether to use this right or not, every nation - including Russia - weighs its position very carefully."
Deputy Foreign Minister Mr Yuri Fedotov reaffirmed Russia's position alongside France and Germany in opposing any new resolution opening the way for war in Iraq, where Russia has major oil interests and is owed some $8 billion.
"Russia's position on this will remain unchanged," Mr Fedotov said, adding that it was vital to heal the rifts that have emerged.