By empty (2/10/2003 issue of the CACI Analyst)
Russia said Wednesday it saw no grounds for the use of force against Iraq, calling on the international community to allow U.N. weapons inspectors more time to continue their work, a Foreign Ministry spokesman said.
Russia said Wednesday it saw no grounds for the use of force against Iraq, calling on the international community to allow U.N. weapons inspectors more time to continue their work, a Foreign Ministry spokesman said. \"We are guided by the principles of international law and the prerogatives of the Security Council and, as we have said before, we do not see grounds for the use of military force,\" ministry spokesman Alexander Yakovenko said.
\"The potential for political and diplomatic regulation has not been exhausted and we think that international inspectors should be given the opportunity to continue their work.\" In a statement issued a day after President Bush promised Washington would provide the United Nations with fresh proof that Iraq is hiding weapons of mass destruction and promised to fight with the full force of the U.S. military, Moscow said it agreed on the need to resist \"terrorism\" but did not see eye to eye with Washington on \"the concrete source of threats.\" (Reuters)