Iran, Russia will not offer Saddam Hussein asylum

Both Iran and Russia yesterday denied news rumored recently by the mass media on the possibility of offering the Iraqi President Saddam Hussein the right of asylum to one of the two countries in order to spare an American war against Iraq.

The Iranian foreign minister Kamal Kharazi denied news which talked about the possibility of offering the Iraqi President the right of asylum to Iran in case of a likely American war against Iraq. Karazi told the Iranian website Bazdab "these are groundless rumors."

For her part the spokeswoman for President Alexander Lukashenko in Belorussia denied what was stated by the British daily Sunday Times on Saddam Hussein's attempt to resort to the said Soviet Republic. The Presidential spokeswoman Natalia Pitkivich said " so far there are no facts to talk about. Let those who want to speculate.. speculate."