Russian Prime Minister Regrets over Start of Iraq War

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Thursday, March 20, 2003

Russian Prime Minister Regrets over Start of Iraq War

Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Kasyanov on Thursday expressed his regret over the outbreak of the US-led war against Iraq.

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Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Kasyanov Thursday expressed regret over the outbreak of the US-ledwar against Iraq, while pledging to help the Iraqi refugees forcedto flee home due to the war.

"The Russian administration expresses regret that the Iraq crisis is being dealt with militarily forces and without a resolution from the UN Security Council," said the prime minister when opening a government session.

Kasyanov said the Emergency Situations Ministry would soon deploy its units in countries bordering Iraq, such as Iran, in order to provide help to Iraqis fleeing home due to the war.

Russia is ready to help the Iraqi people within the UN framework, he added.

Kasyanov also said that President Vladimir Putin would soon make a statement on the Iraq issue.

Putin's spokesman Alexei Gromov said the president has been regularly informed of the latest developments in Iraq.

The United States launched air strikes against Iraq on early Thursday, hours after the expiry of a US ultimatum demanding IraqiPresident Saddam Hussein leave Iraq within 48 hours or face war.

Russia, a veto-wielding permanent member of the UN Security Council, has repeatedly voiced opposition to military operations against Iraq, and called for further weapons inspections in the country. President Putin warned on Monday that war would be a "mistake" that could imperil world security.

Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov, who returned early Thursday from a Security Council session, is meeting with Russian officials on the latest development in Iraq as well as Moscow's further actions,according to the Interfax news agency.

The minister said earlier that if the United States starts the war, Russia would work to return the issue "to the UN Security Council, in other words, to settle the situation within a legal framework."

"Under the UN Charter, only the Security Council has the right to settle situations related to possible security threats," Ivanovsaid in New York.

By making the decision to launch a war, the United States must assume the responsibility for all possible consequences, includingmajor losses, mass destruction as well as other aftermath spillingbeyond the boundaries of the region, he warned.

Meanwhile, the Interfax quoted embassy sources as saying that more than 20 Russian diplomats were continuing work at the embassyin Iraq.

Gennady Seleznyov, speaker of the State Duma, lower house of the parliament, on Thursday told Interfax in a telephone interviewthat "(US President) George W. Bush and his few allies should realize that they have placed themselves outside of international law and are directly responsible for the death of civilians in Iraq".

The Duma is expected to debate on the war in Iraq and make an official statement on the issue at its Thursday's session.

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