TAIF/BAGHDAD, 29 July — Saudi Arabia and Russia yesterday stressed the need for a “political and peaceful” settlement on Iraq, and warned that any strike against Baghdad would have grave consequences. “We, and our Saudi partners, stressed the need for a move toward a political and peaceful settlement of the Iraqi crisis,” visiting Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Saltanov said after talks with Prince Abdullah, the regent, in Taif.
“We discussed ideas calling on Iraq to implement the Security Council resolutions, and for the need to end the sufferings of the Iraqi people,” the AFP news agency quoted Saltanov as saying.
The Russian official, on a tour to the region linked with US threats to attack Iraq, said he found the idea of overthrowing Iraqi President Saddam Hussein “unacceptable.”
“During the tour, we found that the idea of changing governments or leaders of any country unacceptable because it is in contradiction with international law,” Saltanov said. “A number of leaders in the region have expressed opposition to the (US) strikes and warned of the very serious consequences it could result in the whole region,” he added.
But Saltanov, who arrived in the Kingdom on Saturday night, stressed that Russia was not looking to be a mediator for now, although Moscow was willing to work between the Iraqi leaders and the United States.
Saltanov’s talks with Prince Abdullah were attended by Prince Nawaf, director of intelligence, and Foreign Minister Prince Saud Al-Faisal. According to the official Saudi Press Agency, the talks also focused on Middle East peace.
Iraq said yesterday it had taken all measures to face a possible US military strike. “Our leadership has prepared everything and our people are determined to resist all attempts against our country,” said the speaker of Parliament, Saadoun Hammadi. “Our people’s morale is high, our financial potential is good and we are quite certain we will be able to thwart the US aggression,” he told reporters after Parliament met to discuss preparations for a US military attack.
Baghdad also renewed yesterday a challenge to British Prime Minister Tony Blair to produce evidence his government claims to possess about Iraq’s alleged weapons of mass destruction. “We shall defend our country in our territory,” Iraqi Foreign Minister Naji Sabri told CNN on Saturday. He said Washington wanted UN weapons inspectors to return to Iraq “for the sole purpose of updating their military and intelligence information on Iraq to be used in any attack on the Iraqi population”. Iraq would only allow the return of inspectors if it was based on what he called a UN agenda, not a US one, he said.
