Moscow refuses to expel Iraqi diplomats
Iraq-Russia, Politics, 3/13/2003

A Russian diplomatic source asked not to be identified announced on Wednesday that Russia has ignored Washington's request to expel two Iraqi diplomats.

Last Wednesday, the US said it decided to expel two Iraqi diplomats in the Iraqi permanent committee at the UN in New York on charge of spying and asked 60 countries to take similar measures against Iraqi diplomats.

Romania and Australia met the American demand. The first expelled five Iraqi diplomats, while the second expelled one diplomat. In Moscow, Russian, American and Iraqi officials refused to talk officially about this issue. However, diplomatic sources stressed that Washington had actually demanded such a request from Moscow but received no answer.

The Iraqi ambassador in Moscow Abbas Khalaf said about the American request "As you see, I feel in Russia as if I am home." A spokesman for the Russian foreign ministry just recalled he "does not make any comments on the undeclared diplomatic contacts" between Moscow and Washington.

The Russian decision falls in the course of differences that emerged in recent days between Moscow and Washington on the Iraqi file.

Russia had warned against the possibility of having to resort to the veto at the UN Security Council in order to obstruct the new draft resolution proposed by the US, Britain and Spain giving Iraq a short period of inspection and opens the way before resorting to the use of force against Iraq.

The Russian news agency Itar Tass quoted the deputy foreign minister Yuri Vidotov saying "there are information reaching us on the possibility of Making certain amendments in the draft resolution which is officially discussed since March 7th at the UN security council by the US and Britain." He added "At the meantime, we did not see these amendments." He added that it is clear that the Russian position stated that the solution provides for settling the crisis by force is not acceptable by us."

Previous Stories:
  Ivanov: Russia will vote against attacking Iraq   (3/6/2003)
  Frimia Novosti: Sahhaf denies Hussein's political asylum seeking to Russia   (2/26/2003)
  Russian businessmen evacuate families from Iraq   (2/19/2003)

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