DATE=12/1/1999
TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT
TITLE=RUSSIA / IRAQ (L-ONLY)
NUMBER=2-256710
BYLINE=EVE CONANT
DATELINE=MOSCOW
CONTENT=
VOICED AT:
INTRO: Iraq's Deputy Prime Minister Tariq Aziz is
meeting Russian officials in Moscow to seek support
for help in easing United Nations sanctions against
his country. V-O-A Moscow correspondent Eve Conant
reports Mr. Aziz is condemning a proposal to send U-N
weapons inspectors back to Iraq in exchange for an end
to sanctions.
TEXT: Iraq's Deputy Prime Minister Tariq Aziz flew to
Moscow to urge Russia to block a draft U-N Security
Council resolution that would bring U-N arms
inspectors back to Iraq in exchange for a suspension
of sanctions.
Speaking to reporters, Mr. Aziz called the U-N
proposal "a rotten project designed to mislead public
opinion." He said the idea marked what he called a
"threat to Iraq's sovereignty," and he added that
suspension of sanctions was nothing but "an illusion
and a lie."
U-N sanctions against Iraq have been in place since
the 1990 Iraqi invasion of Kuwait, and can be
suspended only after weapons inspectors certify that
Iraq is not developing or harboring weapons of mass
destruction. Iraq insists the sanctions should be
lifted immediately, and that the country has already
eliminated all such weapons.
The United States is urging Russia to encourage Iraq
to agree with the U-N proposal. Secretary of State
Madeleine Albright has asked Russian Foreign Minister
Igor Ivanov to convey the message that Iraq must
adhere to U-N demands.
After meeting with Mr. Aziz, Foreign Minister Ivanov
would not say if Russia planned to use its veto in
the U-N Security Council to block the plan. But he
reiterated Russia's support for an end to sanctions on
humanitarian grounds. Russia also wants an end to the
sanctions, so Iraq can start paying back a multi-
billion-dollar debt to Moscow.
// OPT // Mr. Aziz will spend several days in Moscow,
and is expected to meet with Prime Minister Vladimir
Putin and other top officials. // END OPT //
Mr. Aziz also commented on Russia's military campaign
against Islamic militants in Chechnya, calling it an
"internal Russian affair" despite Western pressure to
halt the offensive. Mr. Aziz said he rejected
accusations that Russia was acting against Islamic
interests. (Signed)
NEB/EC/JWH/WTW
01-Dec-1999 10:39 AM EDT (01-Dec-1999 1539 UTC)
NNNN
Source: Voice of America
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