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RUSSIAN EXPERT URGED THE NECESSITY TO AVOID A WAR IN IRAQ

MOSCOW, December 26, 2002. /from a RIA Novosti correspondent/. - The world community must avoid a war against Iraq that is not sanctioned by the UN Security Council. The statement to this effect was made on Thursday by Georgy Mirsky, chief researcher at the institute of World economy and International Relations (IMEMO) at the round table "Iraq's Perspectives and Russia's Interests" held in the media center of the Izvestia newspaper. He believes that "attempts to dissuade Bush from unleashing war are fruitless, and whether he will use force against Iraq or not depends on many factors but not on Russia's stance alone." He said that Russian diplomats' stance who advocated the amended draft of the British-American resolution on Iraq that takes account of the positions of all the UN Security Council's members "appears to be solely right." "The Resolution allowed averting a war for some time and sending to Iraq international weapons inspectors to find out whether Iraq possesses weapons of mass destruction or not," the researcher recalled.

Nevertheless he called to be cautious of "a negative turn of events." It would be possible if the inspectors' report doesn't remove doubts about Iraq's weapons of mass destruction. Washington and London can use it as a pretext to go into a war, the final goal of which is "to overthrow Saddam Hussein," was Mirsky's forecast.

"Taking into account national interests and interests of the Iraqi people, Russia, being a great power and economically and politically interested in the Middle East, can't afford being excluded from a new governance system in Iraq that will emerge after a new regime is established there," the expert emphasized.

He said that Russia is "an old, experienced and reliable Iraqi partner," that is aware of the peculiarities, difficulties and needs of the country.

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