RUSSIA: Russia strove to cement international opposition to the threat of a US-led attack on Iraq this weekend and said Baghdad was co-operating with United Nations weapons inspectors, whom it insists can peacefully disarm President Saddam Hussein.
While President Vladimir Putin made Russia's case in Bulgaria, his Foreign Minister, Mr Igor Ivanov, spoke to Sofia's fellow non-permanent members of the UN Security Council to try and form a diplomatic bulwark against any new resolution sanctioning military action in the Gulf.
"Russia's and Bulgaria's positions on the Iraq problem do not fully coincide," Mr Putin said yesterday. "Nevertheless, Russia is convinced that the Iraqi crisis can and must be settled peacefully."
Bulgaria, which aspires to membership of the European Union and NATO, faces a tough decision over Iraq. If it opposes the threat of force, it will offend Britain, Spain and above all the US, who favour such a measure. If it supports them, as seems likely, it will face the wrath of anti-war France and Germany and old ally Russia, with whom it does a huge amount of trade.
Mr Putin said most permanent and non-permanent members of the Security Council supported Russia's stance, and played down the danger represented by President Saddam.
"We do not think that the threat offered by Iraq is more serious than that emanating from other countries . . . and many [other states\] agree with us," Mr Putin told Russian television.