Leaders of the permanent member states on the UN Security Council - Russia, China, France, Britain and the US - are pursuing "very constructive" talks on Iraq.
Russia's ambassador to Britain Mr Grigory Karasin confirmed on BBC radio this morning that Russian President Vladimir Putin had voiced serious doubts about the legality of military strikes on Iraq in a conversation with British Prime Minister Tony Blair yesterday.
"But we also have the good news," Mr Karasin said, "and that is that all the leaders of the five countries ... are in very constructive discussions, so let us rely on the wisdom and experience of our leaders."
Mr Karasin said 12 months of anti-terrorist action since the September 11th attacks had already shown that any new initiative must be "based on logic and law" and that "just cause has to be confirmed by the only existing universal organisation, which is the UN."
Russia, like other permanent Security Council members, can exercise an individual veto on any decision by the body.
But Mr Karasin was also careful not to rule out evenutual support for military action, stressing that "all options are open now".
Mr Blair and Mr Putin had agreed to meet next month, he added.
AFP