RUSSIA: Russia yesterday expressed "serious doubts" about the justification for a strike on Iraq, posing an early obstacle to President Bush's effort to build international support to oust President Saddam Hussein.
In telephone conversations with the US President and the British Prime Minister, Mr Blair, Mr Vladimir Putin, the Russian President, stopped short of explicit opposition to a regime change.
But the Kremlin said Mr Putin expressed "serious doubts" over the legal basis for military strikes and warned of the risks of destabilising the Middle East, the Persian Gulf and the international coalition against terrorism.
Adding to the diplomatic hurdles facing Mr Bush, the French President, Mr Jacques Chirac, insisted in his telephone call with the US President that the United Nations should play a central role in deciding what action to take against Iraq.
Mr Chirac is keen to show himself a loyal ally of the Americans a year after the September 11th terrorist attacks. But he is still more concerned not to offend French public opinion, which is opposed to a war against Iraq.
"It's for the UN Security Council to take the appropriate measures," the Élysée presidential palace said. France, Russia and China, three of the targets of Mr Bush's charm offensive this week, are members of the Security Council.
The White House said this week it would seek congressional approval for its effort to topple Mr Saddam, but has been elusive about the need to secure a mandate or a statement of support from the UN.
Mr Bush also called China's president, Mr Jiang Zemin, ahead of the US President's speech to the UN General Assembly next Thursday.
The White House said Mr Bush talked in general terms about the perceived Iraqi threat and did not go into details about the best means of disarmament. He also reiterated that he had not yet made a decision on the use of military force.
But the US administration kept up its efforts to convince the American public of the security threat posed by Mr Saddam's regime.
Referring to reports of satellite imagery showing unexplained construction at several sites of interest to UN inspectors looking for evidence that Baghdad is developing nuclear weapons, Mr Ari Fleischer, the White House press secretary, said the information was "deeply troubling".
Some congressional leaders, however, said they were still seeking further information. Following briefings from senior administration officials, Mr Tom Daschle, the Senate majority leader, said yesterday: "Some of our questions were answered but there are a lot more out there that need to be addressed before we can make any conclusive decision on what needs to be done."
Mr Putin appeared reluctant to sanction direct action against Iraq. The Russian President, who has adopted a strong pro-western foreign policy in many important areas, placed emphasis on his agreement with the UK and the US on the need for political and diplomatic measures to force Iraq to allow weapons inspectors back into the country. - (Financial Times Service)
AFP adds: German Defence Minister Mr Peter Struck said yesterday the debate over Iraq would change "if Baghdad were proved to be actively involved in terrorism".
Mr Struck's comments, made in front of TV cameras during a meeting with NATO Secretary General Lord Robertson, appeared to hint at a possible softening of Germany's opposition to US-led military strikes against the Saddam regime.
Germany is the only major US ally in Europe to have flatly ruled out participation in any attack on Iraq, even under a UN mandate.