- MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia
on Wednesday fired a new broadside against the United States over its military
action against Iraq, scorning claims its troops were "liberating"
Iraqis and accusing it of defying world opinion.
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- Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov, using language at times
reminiscent of the Cold War rivalry with Washington, said: "What the
United States is doing challenges not only Iraq, but the whole world."
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- Addressing parliament as U.S. and British forces pressed
forward to Baghdad, Ivanov said the evidence so far gainsaid U.S. efforts
to portray its troops as a liberating force freeing Iraqis from Saddam
Hussein's rule.
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- "It is already becoming clear how far removed from
reality are their attempts to present military action against Iraq as a
triumphant march for the liberation of the Iraqi people with minimal casualties
and destruction," he told the Federation Council (upper house).
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- He counseled Washington and London not to make unsubstantiated
claims to have found caches of banned weapons in Iraq to justify their
military offensive.
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- "If there are claims by coalition forces about discovering
weapons of mass destruction...only international inspectors can make a
conclusive assessment of the origin of these weapons," he said.
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- "No other evaluation and final conclusion can be
accepted."
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- PROTECTING TIES WITH U.S.
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- Ivanov, mindful of the political capital Moscow has built
up with Washington by backing the U.S.-led war on terror, strove to maintain
a balance in his criticism, saying international relations depended on
Russian and U.S. strategic ties.
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- "It is the nature of our partnership that allows
us to be honest with each other (and) discuss issues we do not agree on,"
he said.
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- A senior U.S. official, speaking to reporters in Moscow,
played down the significance of Ivanov's comments saying that though U.S.-Russia
relations were "strained" they were not irreparably damaged.
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- "I think strong language in public doesn't help
to manage this disagreement, but we focus on the constructive assurances
we are getting in private," the official, who requested anonymity,
said.
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- "We also recognize the Russian leadership needs
to project a principled position to the domestic audience and to the rest
of the international community," he said.
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- But Ivanov's sharp attack, following President Vladimir
Putin's fierce denunciation at the onset of U.S. military action on March
20, nonetheless marked another downturn in relations.
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- Putin, who needs U.S. support and investment to turn
Russia's economy round, has fought to protect his newly-forged ties with
President Bush.
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- But Russia's opposition to U.S. military action against
its former close economic partner and Putin's call for a rapid end to military
action has brought the relationship under pressure. Russia, with other
U.N. heavyweights France and China, tried unsuccessfully to stop U.S. military
action to topple Saddam.
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- All three argued for more time to be given to U.N. arms
inspectors searching for weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. Baghdad denies
holding any banned arms.
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- The atmosphere has been further soured by Moscow's suspicions
that Washington will disregard Russia's economic interests in Iraq after
the war is over.
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- Highlighting Russia's fears, the head of a Russian state
firm with big oil interests in Iraq said Moscow had little chance of getting
a slice of the pie after the war.
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- "Americans don't need anyone else in Iraq, they
will control Iraqi crude themselves. Nobody will give the green light for
Russian or French firms in Iraq," said Nikolai Tokarev, head of Zarubezhneft,
in an interview with Reuters.
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- Since the U.S. offensive, the two powers have become
locked in a row over U.S. claims that Russian firms have supplied Iraq
with banned military equipment including electronic jamming equipment and
night vision goggles. Russia denies the sales were made.
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- And the State Duma (parliament lower house) has delayed
a vote to ratify a U.S.-Russia nuclear arms reduction treaty that would
slash numbers of deployed warheads held by each side.
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