MOSCOW: Russia, a former close ally of Iraqi President Saddam Hussein, is keeping a low profile in the Gulf crisis, torn between the need to nurture good relations with the United States and preserve its own interests in the region.

“We will not support unilateral military action against Iraq,” Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov said on Wednesday. But this does not amount to open resistance and Russia’s use of its veto in the UN Security Council if it comes to a vote on armed intervention. Current buoyant relations with Washington rather indicate that a US-led onslaught against Iraq is fast becoming a reality the Kremlin will have to live with, if not openly back.

“Russia prefers to stay on the fringes in the dispute whether to wage war or not,” wrote the Nezavisimaya Gazeta newspaper.

Meanwhile, the US is playing its hand well, laying some tempting propositions before its new partner in the East. On the table is the prospect of greatly increased US imports of Russian oil, and even Russia’s possible future protection by the planned US missile defence shield.

“Moscow will not risk its good relations with Washington for Iraq”, a US official said with confidence in Moscow recently.

At the same time, Russia has much to lose in Iraq.

Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Saltanov held talks in Baghdad last week to rescue existing billion-dollar joint oil exploration agreements.

And there are still hopes of recovering some seven billion dollars owed under Soviet-era arms contracts with Hussein’s government.—dpa