RUSSIA: Russia agreed yesterday to look closely at Washington's evidence that President Saddam Hussein is hiding weapons of mass destruction, but warned a belligerent President George W. Bush that it was still determined to avert war in the Gulf.
Moscow's measured response came a day after Mr Bush promised to present the United Nations Security Council with intelligence next week concerning Iraq's alleged weapons programme and links to terrorist groups.
"Apparently the US administration intends to present concrete facts or documents linked to the issue of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq," said Foreign Minister Mr Igor Ivanov. "We believe that such information is worthy of thorough study."
But he was unequivocal in his backing for a diplomatic solution, after President Vladimir Putin said on Tuesday that a so-far dovish Russia could adopt a tougher line against Iraq if it hampered UN inspectors searching for evidence of an illegal weapons programme.
"We believe that we have to do everything that is necessary to avert war," said Mr Ivanov.
Russia, which has close links with the Iraqi oil sector and hopes to recoup from Baghdad some $8 billion in Soviet-era debt, insists that the weapons crisis be resolved through the UN Security Council, where Moscow holds a veto.
Iraq's deputy prime minister, Mr Tareq Aziz, yesterday denied President George Bush's allegation that his country has ties to Osama bin Laden's militant al-Qaeda organisation.
"I absolutely deny that," Mr Aziz said in an interview on US television. "And I challenge Bush and his government to present any, any evidence of that . . . Now people are more unconvinced about the Bush allegations than any time before."
Culture Minister Mr Hamed Yousif Hummadi said the US had no credible evidence Iraq was hiding banned weapons, otherwise it would have provided it to UN weapons inspectors in Iraq. "If he had truly had this information for a long time, why would he not have delivered it to the inspectors?" - (Reuters)
