Posted on 08/21/2002 2:22:17 PM PDT by newsperson999
MOSCOW, Aug. 21 — A senior U.S. Congress delegation warned Russia on Wednesday that its drive for closer ties with Iraq and Iran could hurt rapidly-improving relations between the two countries, the U.S. embassy in Moscow said.
Moscow and Washington shed old animosities and began a rapprochement after the September 11 attacks on the United States, but Russia has refused to give up lucrative business with Iraq and Iran -- nations branded part of an ''axis of evil'' by U.S. President George W. Bush.
Adding to U.S. concerns, Moscow announced last week it was working on a $40-billion economic cooperation agreement with Iraq. It has also said it was considering building five nuclear reactors for Iran. ''Over the past year, U.S.-Russian relations have greatly improved, and it would be very regrettable to have these recent developments chill an otherwise blossoming relationship,'' U.S. congressman Henry J. Hyde told Russian parliamentarians.
Hyde, chairman of the International Relations Committee of the U.S. House of Representatives, led a bipartisan delegation which arrived in Moscow to discuss ties between the two nations and express Washington's security concerns.
The congressmen met key Russian officials, including First Deputy Foreign Minister Vyacheslav Trubnikov and deputy speaker of the State Duma lower house of parliament Vladimir Lukin, during their trip, the embassy said.
It said Lukin had assured the delegation that in its dealings with Baghdad, Moscow would continue to honour its commitments regarding U.N. sanctions imposed on Iraq after its 1990 invasion of Kuwait, which sparked the Gulf War.
Russia has repeatedly said that its relations with both Iraq and Iran are strictly in line with international law, and that it has no intention of abandoning profitable energy contracts with the two countries.
Moscow has criticised U.S. policy to oust President Saddam Hussein from power in Iraq, from which it hopes to recoup several billion dollars of Soviet-era debt.
He is the key to Republican power.
** First Female President
Prior - Cheating on all arms control agreements drafted between Moscow and the Reagan, Bush Sr, and Clinton administrations, continuing work on bio and chem warfare, refusing to prosecute the Red Mafiya (many who had ties to the KGB and continue to have ties to the GRU and FSB), laundering money, hiding currency from the pre-1991 era "stolen" from the government to offshore accounts but strangely repatriated without questions asked into black budgets since Putin took office, military coordination with a host of nations who have demonstrated antipathy for the West and the US including the PRC, and a total refusal to hold anyone from pre-1989 accountable for anything.
Post 9/11 - continued aid to anti-Western and anti-US nations including the Axis of Evil whilst spewing lies about their cooperation with the West in the War on Terrorism, constant reference to Chechnya as their badge of brothers in arms whilst faking Chechnyan attacks and using Chechnya to hide their own now illegal SS-20s, ongoing preparations for strategic warfare (e.g. weapons that would be of no use against "terrorism" but of great use in battles between great powers), support of treachery by Rabbani and his ilk in Afghanistan up to and including support of direct attacks on our troops and on the Afghan government, etc, etc...
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