Russia takes lead role in Iraq negotiations
Iraq, Politics, 11/19/1997

After Tariq Aziz, the Iraqi deputy prime minister, met in Moscow for talks with Russian Foreign Minister Yevgeny Primakov on Tuesday, Primakov announced that a proposal that points to a solution to the current crisis had been drawn up. No details of the plan were given. Aziz had been visiting Arab nations to promote his country's case when he was called to Russia for talks.

White House Press Secretary Mike McCurry said the US has "no understanding" of their discussions, indicating that the US is not aware of the substance of the discussions nor has the US initiated any mediation requests of Russia.

US Ambassador to the UN Bill Richardson also said that the US does not yet know the content of the Russian proposal, but added that any solution must preserve a "strong, unfettered UNSCOM." Richardson went on to say that there would be "no deals regarding UNSCOM. This is a UN operation." The composition of UN weapons inspection teams should be based on scientific and technical criteria, not on Iraqi dictates, he said.

Meanwhile US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright cut short a visit to India to deal with the Iraqi issue. She is scheduled to head to Geneva for a meeting early tomorrow with the Russian, British, and French foreign ministers, at which the specifics of the Russian plan will likely be discussed.

However, even while intensifying diplomatic efforts, the US continues to move to shore up its military presence in the Gulf. Additional aircraft, including stealth fighters and bombers are being sent to the region this week, with the possibility of more to come.

Speaking on CNN's Larry King show, former US President Jimmy Carter offered to mediate in the crisis, saying that the situation should be solved diplomatically . Carter described the situation from the Iraqi perspective as "once they (The Iraqis) pass an inspection hurdle, the bar is raised again" by the UN inspection team. This echoes Iraq's main concern that the UN team in practice had no intention of ever certifying Iraq as having complied with UN resolutions, as similar US official statements in the past have indicated.

Primakov recently completed a week-long tour of the Middle East during which he reasserted Russia's role as an active participant in promoting peace in the region. Primakov's visit included stops in Syria, Jordan, Egypt, and Lebanon. At every stop in these countries, Primakov received the same message that stated the desire for a greater Russian role and participation in Middle East affairs to soften if not balance stances taken by the US.

As a result of Primakov's visit to the Arab countries, Russia decided to increase its attention and visibility by assigning Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Victor Bosfalov as the Russian permanent envoy to the Middle East peace process. The need to activate this role was stressed by many leaders according to Primakov, foremost of whom is Egypt's President Mubarak.

This latest proposal by Russia puts it in the position of setting itself on a course that is independent from the US, a country that Russia has come to rely on considerably in the last few years for economic and international support.

The issues of the UN weapon inspection team's composition and oil-for-food deals are some of the sticking points. Whether the Russian proposal will be able to deal with the main problem, and succeed in mediating the US desire for indefinite sanctions on Iraq, and Iraq's desire to set a timetable for these sanctions remains to be seen.

Both the US and Iraq are indicating a desire to resolve this crisis without losing face. The US has not made it known if it requested the mediation efforts from the Russians. This fact will be the indicator of the success or failure of the Russian proposal.

Previous Stories:
  U-2 flies over Iraq, no incident results   (11/18/1997)
  The press conference of Moussa and Primakov   (11/1/1997)
  US fails to further choke Iraq as latter calls on Saudis' help   (10/24/1997)

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