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Putin: U.N. must take lead on Iraq
MOSCOW, Russia (CNN) -- Russian President Vladimir Putin is calling for the earliest possible settlement of the Iraq crisis "through political and diplomatic methods based on U.N. Security Council resolutions." In a statement to foreign ambassadors at the Kremlin -- including Iraq's new ambassador to Russia -- Putin said the crisis should be resolved "in strict compliance with rules and regulations of international law," according to Russia's Interfax news agency. The statement reiterates Moscow's position on the United States' threats to take military action against Iraq for violating U.N. resolutions calling for weapons inspections. Putin's statement came as the U.N. Security Council considered an initiative by the United States calling for new resolutions on Iraq carrying tough penalties for non-compliance. Russia -- a permanent member of the Security Council along with China, France, the UK and the U.S. -- could veto any new resolution. On Wednesday, Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov dismissed the "propaganda furore" surrounding the dossier on Iraq published by UK Prime Minister Tony Blair. "I believe that only specialists and experts can judge whether or not Iraq has weapons of mass destruction. We have therefore sought the fastest possible return to Iraq of inspectors," he said. (Full story) The dossier, published on Tuesday, said Iraq could launch a chemical or biological attack at 45 minutes' notice and produce nuclear weapons in one or two years with components from abroad. (Full story) Last week, Russian Defence Minister Sergei Ivanov said he believed international inspectors could "easily establish" whether Iraq has weapons of mass destruction, drawing a clear line between the Pentagon and the Russians on the value of U.N. inspectors returning to Iraq. The Russian military chief said his government wanted Iraq to accept an "unconditional receipt of inspectors." When asked if he believed the Baghdad regime would actually accept unconditional inspections he said: "It is not a question of trust or mistrust, it is a question of facts." Ivanov's indications of Russian support for the inspection process put him at odds with U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, who he met last Thursday. Rumsfeld has repeatedly said he does not believe inspections can be intrusive enough to track down the places where Iraq may be hiding its weapons. Ivanov would not answer questions about Russian support for either a congressional resolution on Iraq new U.N. resolutions.
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