- Russia has condemned the latest US and British air raids
in Iraq, urging Washington and London to use their energies in the cause
of peace.
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- "Any actions that violate Iraq's sovereignty and
territorial integrity, which must be respected according to UN resolutions,
are not to be allowed," the foreign ministry said in a statement issued
late Friday.
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- "Our efforts should rather be concentrated on quickly
restoring Iraq's cooperation with the UN inspectors, so that the Iraq issue
could be resolved," the statement continued.
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- US and British forces have recently stepped up their
air attacks in the no-fly zones that cover large swaths of northern and
southern Iraq.
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- The zones were imposed by western powers after the 1991
Gulf War to contain Iraq militarily and help protect minority Kurd and
Shiite populations from reprisals by Saddam's forces.
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- Baghdad does not recognize the air exclusion zones, which
are not sanctioned by any UN resolution.
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- Iraq said on Friday that its ground defenses fired on
US and British warplanes raiding the south of the country, forcing them
to "flee" to their bases in Kuwait.
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