Posted on 06/28/2002 7:13:30 PM PDT by Sawdring
MOSCOW — Russia has told its Arab allies in a series of meetings that they will not be immune to any U.S. military campaign against Iraq.
Arab diplomatic sources said Moscow has warned several countries including Iran and Syria that they could be included in any U.S. war in the Middle East. The message was blunt: Washington will not limit its military campaign to Iraq and seeks to topple Middle East regimes deemed as terrorist sponsors, the sources said.
Russian Foreign Ministry officials have met with their counterparts in several Arab countries and discussed scenarios of any U.S. drive against Iraqi President Saddam Hussein, Middle East Newsline reported.. The sources said the scenarios included U.S. attack aircraft and ships launching lightning raids on suspected terrorist hideouts in Lebanon's Bekaa Valley, Damascus and the Afghan-Iranian border.
Russian parliamentarians have also conducted meetings with Arab diplomats in Moscow. The members of the Duma were said to have cited intelligence reports that President George Bush has ordered his intelligence agencies to topple Saddam in a new doctrine that allows for preemptive strikes on rogue states believed to produce weapons of mass destruction.
"These warnings have been relayed not only to such countries as Iran and Syria, but also to pro-U.S. regimes such as Egypt, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia," a diplomatic source said.
Russia expects the United States to lose no more than 20 aircraft in any regional campaign against Iraq, Iran and Syria, the sources said.
Another scenario is that U.S., British and Turkish forces would destroy Iran's nuclear reactor at Bushehr and Shihab-3 missile facilities. The Shihab-3 has a range of 1,300 kilometers and has alarmed Israel. The allied campaign on Iran would be limited to air strikes, according to the Russian scenario.
Moscow has also gone public with its warnings to the Arab world. Konstantin Kosatschov, deputy chairman of the Duma's Foreign Affairs Committee, said Britain and the United States are not merely interested in Saddam's demise.
"The aim of Britain and the United States is to control the Persian Gulf and Iraqi oil," Kosatschov told the Kuwaiti daily Al Rai Al Aaam.
The sources said Turkey has also been warned by Russia against helping Washington. They said Turkey has been told that any war against Iraq would lead to a Kurdish state in northern Iraq and new unrest in southeastern Turkey, where many Kurds live.
But other countries, such as Iran and Syria, have been told that Washington might recruit Ankara into any anti-Saddam coalition by allowing Turkey to capture northern Iraq to ensure that no Kurdish state is formed.
Yep. I like those Russian "intelligence sources." Sounds like they're reading FR threads.
It looks like it is coming to pass. I have only known a world where those who should be our friends, were our enemies. Yet, the world has changed. Ok, I maybe really crazy here, but if the US and Russia have come this far...could a lasting peace between Israel and Arab states also be in our future?
I have a dream...
Blunt is right!
The Russians are playing a dangerous game. Pootie-Poot needs to watch his back...
It doesn't seem like Russia is doing this out of friendship to us, but warning Arabs not to help the US .. or am I just reading this wrong.
I'm not real happy that this Kosatschov thinks the US and England wants to control the oil fields, that is not the deal here.
If they really think that, someone needs to clear that up for them real fast or we might have trouble with Russia. I don't understand why he would say that or think that.
Only if the 8th-Century cretins in the non-Westernized Arab nations grow up first.
It may have put them all on alert, but it isn't going to do them much good. Russia gave them this information while telling them they could not expect Russia to come to their aid. In other words, they are on their own.
All the bastards should damn well better be on alert. I don't have any problem with the Russians explaining to Syria, Iran, et al what might be in store for them. It should communicate the seriousness of our intent, just in case there were any doubts.
On the other hand, Russia issuing a warning about how the Turks should conduct their affairs seems a wee mite pretentious. I would've liked to have a been a fly on the wall when the Russian ambassador delivered that message in Ankara.
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