Russia Protests U.S. Strikes Near Its Iraq Embassy

Reuters ^ | April 2, 2003 | Clara Ferreira-Marques

[PhiKapMom]

Russia Protests U.S. Strikes Near Its Iraq Embassy

Wednesday, April 02, 2003 3:43 p.m. ET

By Clara Ferreira-Marques

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia called in the U.S. ambassador to Moscow on Wednesday to protest against air strikes it said hit Baghdad's residential districts and endangered the lives of diplomats still working at its embassy in Iraq.

Russian President Vladimir Putin rammed home Moscow's sharp criticism of the Iraq campaign, saying deaths in the campaign justified its position. But he said it was not to Moscow's advantage to see a U.S. defeat and repeated his call for the matter to be placed again before the United Nations.

Russia's high-level diplomatic protest dealt a fresh blow to strained ties between the Cold War-era rivals hours ahead of their first face-to-face meeting since the U.S.-led drive to overthrow Iraqi President Saddam Hussein began two weeks ago.

Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov meets Secretary of State Colin Powell in Brussels on Thursday for talks requested by Putin and President Bush.

Ivanov then flies to Paris for a Friday meeting with his French and German counterparts. France and Germany, like Russia, have opposed the U.S.-led invasion.

In a toughly worded statement, Moscow said air strikes on Wednesday had hit the Baghdad district in which its embassy was located.

"The Russian side demanded that American authorities take urgent and exhaustive measures to prevent such dangerous and unacceptable incidents in the future," the Foreign Ministry said after U.S. envoy Alexander Vershbow had been summoned.

"The safety of personnel of the Russian diplomatic representation was in immediate danger."

Russia, which has long had close economic ties with Iraq, is among the few countries not to have evacuated embassies. Twenty-six staff remain, according to Russian news agencies.

RUSSIA'S INTERESTS

Putin, speaking in Tambov, south of Moscow, said deaths in the campaign "confirmed that the Russian position is correct."

But, in comments broadcast on television, he also said: "It is not in Russia's interest to see the United States defeated. What is in our interest is to see this issue put back within the framework of the United Nations. ... The sooner this happens, the better it will be for all countries involved in this conflict."

Russia has become increasingly strident in its criticism despite the onset of warm relations during Bush's mandate.

A U.S. Embassy spokesman said Vershbow told Russia that the strikes on Baghdad used precision weapons and were directed only at Iraqi military targets.

The spokesman dismissed suggestions that friendship between Washington and Moscow would be damaged by differences over Iraq, though he said there had been some "bumps in the road."

"Bilateral relations are going to weather this storm," he said.

Among irritants since the start of the attack are U.S. accusations that Russian firms sold Iraq banned military technology, including electronic jamming equipment and night vision goggles. Moscow denies the allegations.

The new-found friendship -- sealed by Kremlin backing for the U.S. war on terror after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks -- has also been soured by Russian suspicion that it has little chance of securing oil interests in Iraq if Saddam is removed.

"Of course, our relations are experiencing some strain at the moment because of disagreements over U.S. military action in Iraq," Foreign Ministry spokesman Alexander Yakovenko said. "We are, however, determined to solve these disagreements on the basis of the partnership we have developed."

Copyright © 2003 Reuters Limited.

 

[Mr. Mojo]

Translation: "Even though we support and prop-up tyrants and butchers, we still need US aid."

Exactly. I thought that the Moscow threatre incident a few months back might knocked some sense into them, but as it turns out, their cold-warrior mindset will not be broken. I guess an Islamoterrorist bomb annihilating Moscow is the only thing that'll wake 'em up.

[Mr. Mojo]

The Russians should have left Baghdad when they had the chance. Or did they stay behind to aid the Iraqi military?

I wonder if the Russians are deluded - stupid - enough to really believe that supplying arms and aid to Iraq could actually make a difference in this war?

[Grampa Dave]

They are upset that we stopped the electricity to their big shredders which are shredding all the written smoking guns to what the Ruskies have sold the Iraqis since 1991.

[Grampa Dave]

If Saddam is still alive, he's in the basement of the Russian embassy being treated by Russian surgeons. The Russian embassy is where the war will end, I think.


You may be correct in your theory above.

[PhiKapMom]

Bet the Russians have been busy. I liked the Freeper comments about Saddam being in their basement. That was an interesting thought!

[Grampa Dave]

If Saddam is still alive and the Russians or the French still have embassies, he just might be stashed there.

If our intel catches one elint message from Saddam or his thugs going from either embassy, time to remove the embassies.

[My2Cents]

I concur. Frankly, it's sad that even after 9/11, the leftist/hate-America crowd do not see the need to root out evil fascist terror organizations, or their state sponsors. I have often, in my darker moods, thought that what, say, Berkeley needed was a terror attack on the Memorial Union to wake these dunderheads up.

[My2Cents]

This is what we'll all be forced to wear if the commies take over.

[Gracey]

...Or did they stay behind to aid the Iraqi military?

Of course... the Traitors.

[SGCOS]

"Chinese embassy, Russian embassy. All look same to Amelicans. How you like my new jacket?"

[Ebenezer]

"'...Or did they stay behind to aid the Iraqi military?'
Of course... the Traitors."

I disagree. I cannot call anyone who has never been my friend a traitor.

[Gracey]

I disagree. I cannot call anyone who has never been my friend a traitor.

Having worked @ NASA most of my career, jointly with many Russians, I'd say we've had lots of friendly dealings w/the Russians and a large amount of technology transfer....mostly from the USA to Russia.

However, you have an excellent point.