February 21, 2003	Friday	Zul Hijjah 19, 1423

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MOSCOW, Feb 20: Russia on Thursday raised the prospect of using its UN Security Council veto to thwart US plans for an invasion of Iraq.

The Russians also expressed concern that UN arms inspectors were under pressure to submit reports favouring the US stand and which could serve as an excuse for an eventual use of force.

Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov and his deputy, Yury Fedotov, gave the strongest hint yet that US attempts to win UN approval for an attack would be opposed by Moscow.

But Moscow also urged Baghdad to comply with UN resolutions to disarm its suspected nuclear, chemical and biological weapons programmes.

Along with France and China, the other veto-wielding powers on the Security Council, the Russians favour weapons inspections continuing and Mr Fedotov was quoted by the ITAR-TASS news agency as saying they would not support a resolution authorizing the use of force.

Mr Ivanov, in an interview with the Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera, appeared to go even further by actually addressing the question of a veto.

“It’s an extreme measure to be used in a reponsible way,” the Russian minister said.

“We are not against a second resolution in principle, but we must see what purpose it would serve. To be clear: if the resolution aims to reinforce the mandate of the (UN weapons) inspectors, we will be ready to look at it.

“If it is designed to allow the use of force, we believe it would be detrimental,” Ivanov said, adding: “Russia’s intention is not to divide the Security Council but, on the contrary, to maintain maximum unity.”

The earliest date for a Security Council vote on a new resolution drafted by the US and Britain now appears to be early next month once chief weapons inspector Hans Blix has delivered his latest report to the Council.—AFP