Jerusalem, Jan 21: Iraq has neither the intention nor the ability to attack Israel and does not possess non-conventional weapons, deputy speaker of Russian Duma and firebrand ultra-nationalist leader of the Russian Liberal Democratic Party Vladimir Zhirinovsky has said. "I was in Iraq three times over the last year, and I can say clearly that Saddam (Hussein) has no desire to attack Israel, nor does he have the ability to do so," Zhirinovsky, who arrived here last evening on his first ever visit to the Jewish state, said.

Zhirinovsky has often been at the Centre of controversy for his ultra-nationalist views, widely perceived as being anti-Semitic and is believed to be a good friend of the Iraqi president. "You'll be surprised to know, but Saddam is a person with whom it is possible to make agreements. He is not what you think," the deputy speaker of Russia's lower house of Parliament, known here for his anti-Israel statements, was reported as saying after his arrival. "Everyone in the world is against war, and I, during my visit in Israel, will do everything I can to explain there is nothing to be afraid of. There are no non-conventional weapons in Iraq."

Bureau Report