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Moscow irked at US envoy`s remarks on Iraq
Moscow, July 13: Russia today took strong exception to the American ambassador`s remarks hinting that Moscow knew the whereabouts of deposed Iraqi ruler Saddam Hussein and the country could share intelligence regarding it with the US.
Moscow, July 13: Russia today took strong exception to the American ambassador's remarks hinting that Moscow knew the whereabouts of deposed Iraqi ruler Saddam Hussein and the country could share intelligence regarding it with the US.
US ambassador to Russia Alexander Vershbow in an interview
to the Interfax news agency yesterday said "Russia could, if
wanted, share the intelligence data on the whereabouts of
provocators of attacks on the US troops in Iraq including
Saddam Hussein and his sons."
Russian foreign ministry spokesman Alexander Yakovenko in a statement said "to appeal to Moscow for interaction between the Russian and American intelligence agencies through media is tactless."
Yakovenko also protested Vershbow's statement that US does not recognise diplomatic status of Russian embassy staff in Baghdad, since there was no legitimate government in Iraq.
He said the US envoy should be well aware that Russian-American partnership was characterised by "reliable channels of dialogue and exchange of information, including the confidential one."
"What concerns the tasks of resolving and stabilising the situation in Iraq, the speedy transfer of this process under the aegis of the UN, which is called for playing the substantial role in the not so simple task of post-war dispensation in this country," Yakovenko said.
The Russian foreign ministry in a separate statement yesterday protested Vershbow's statement on the status of Russian diplomats in Iraq. "This position is far from flawless in the light of international legal norms and the generally acknowledged diplomatic practice," it said.
Bureau Report
Russian foreign ministry spokesman Alexander Yakovenko in a statement said "to appeal to Moscow for interaction between the Russian and American intelligence agencies through media is tactless."
Yakovenko also protested Vershbow's statement that US does not recognise diplomatic status of Russian embassy staff in Baghdad, since there was no legitimate government in Iraq.
He said the US envoy should be well aware that Russian-American partnership was characterised by "reliable channels of dialogue and exchange of information, including the confidential one."
"What concerns the tasks of resolving and stabilising the situation in Iraq, the speedy transfer of this process under the aegis of the UN, which is called for playing the substantial role in the not so simple task of post-war dispensation in this country," Yakovenko said.
The Russian foreign ministry in a separate statement yesterday protested Vershbow's statement on the status of Russian diplomats in Iraq. "This position is far from flawless in the light of international legal norms and the generally acknowledged diplomatic practice," it said.
Bureau Report