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More on Iraq

© Jeffrey Deutsch

Hello all. Please accept my apologies for this late post. Unfortunately, some kind of syntax error seems to be blocking me from posting. So my very kind editors are posting this for me until it can get straightened out.

Anyway, our top story - both in Russia and elsewhere - is Iraq. This article will discuss the importance of the Iraq issue for domestic politics in Russia, so you can see its implications for Russian politicians and also so you can better understand Russian behavior in the whole Iraq crisis. Those of you who want more in-depth information on the Iraq crisis itself would be well advised to consult the Middle East Politics column, written by my colleague Michael Siegel.

The Russian leaders are no longer giving dire warnings of World War III. Foreign Minister Yevgeny Primakov specifically said he didn't want to talk about such a possibility, but reiterated his emphasis on seeking a diplomatic solution. And Defense Minister Igor Sergeyev personally castigated US Defense Secretary William Cohen, at a joint press conference in Moscow following their meeting, no less, for allegedly seeking war. This is like picking a Valentine's Day candlelit dinner for two as the occasion to dump your SO.

For his part, President Boris Yeltsin is still vocally opposed to the American use of force in Iraq. And he's spreading the word - Chinese Premier Li Peng was in Moscow last week, to discuss Iraq, among other things. They issued a joint statement condemning proposed US airstrikes on Iraq. And note the "among other things" part: they're also discussing, for example, high-tech (read: military) cooperation. This looks like the beginning stages of a Moscow-Beijing axis. Stay tuned...

Meanwhile, that humanitarian aid flight to Iraq did go through, courtesy of Liberal Democratic (sic!) leader Vladimir Zhirinovsky. (Humanitarian aid itself was never at issue; the issue was flying: direct flights into and out of Iraq are strictly forbidden without the special permission of a 15-member UN committee.) The flight was laid up for several days in Armenia while that permission was being awaited.

But Zhirinovsky put that time to good use burnishing his image: he screamed at Russian Ambassador to Armenia Andrei Urnov at Yerevan Airport. Afterwards, Primakov lodged a formal protest with Duma Speaker Gennady Seleznev about Zhirinovsky's behavior, specifically complaining about his attacking the dignity of a personal representative of the Russian president. Duma Deputy Speaker Vladimir Ryzhkov promised a Duma discussion of the matter, but also said that Zhirinovsky's parliamentary immunity precluded any serious punishment - though he could still get a "political condemnation".

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