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Russia Opposes Smart Sanctions Against Iraq: Envoy
Russian Envoy for Special Tasks Nikolai Kartuzov said in Damascus on Saturday that Russia opposes the U.N. draft resolution on "smart sanctions" against Iraq.
Speaking to reporters after meeting with Syrian Foreign Minister Faruk Shareh, Kartuzov said that he delivered to Shareh a message from Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov on the deliberations of the United Nations on proposed "smart sanctions" against Iraq.
He was referring to the proposal submitted by the United States and Britain to the U.N. Security Council to revise the sanctions imposed on Iraq since its invasion of Kuwait in 1990.
The Russian envoy said that his country expects that the smart sanctions, which are allegedly designed to sharpen the cutting edge against the Baghdad regime but make the embargo less painful to the Iraqi people, will have serious impacts on Iraq and all the countries in the region.
He added that the goals of the "smart sanctions" are merely pretexts and excuses and will aggravate the situation of the Iraqi people.
Kartuzov also said that he and Shareh shared the opinion that the Iraqi people's suffering due to the 10-year U.N. sanctions should be ended.
Kartuzov arrived at Damascus on Friday on an official visit to Syria.
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