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Settlement of Iraq problem will end terrorism: Russia

MOSCOW: Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov warned Saturday that the world would not rid itself of terrorism just by forcing a regime change in Baghdad, as Washington kept up pressure against Saddam Hussein.

“The international community must understand that it will not settle the problem of terrorism simply by settling the problem of Iraq,” Ivanov said after a meeting in Moscow with the diplomatic chiefs of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), which groups Russia, China and four former Soviet republics in Central Asia.

UN inspectors: A UN plane carrying equipment for weapons inspectors arrived in Baghdad on Saturday, ahead of searches set to begin next Wednesday for Iraq’s alleged weapons of mass destruction.

The plane landed at Baghdad’s Saddam International Airport after a flight from Larnaca, Cyprus. The spokesman for the UNMOVIC inspections team in Iraq Yashuhiro Ueki has said the shipment will consist of computers, communications equipment, furniture, refrigerators and some medicines.

A team of 18 weapons inspectors will arrive in Baghdad on Monday and begin inspections on Wednesday, searching for any weapons of mass destruction and armed with a tough UN resolution that demands Baghdad disarm or face a possible US strike. Iraq denies it has any such weapons.

Airstrike: Western planes bombed a mobile radar system in southern Iraq on Saturday, continuing the recent “spike” in skirmishes in the no-fly zone, the US military said. The most recent strike, at about 6 a.m. EST (1100 GMT), hit facilities located south of Al Amarah, about 165 miles southeast of Baghdad. “Saturday’s strike came after Iraq moved the mobile radar into the southern no-fly zone. The radar provides tracking and guidance for surface-to-air missile systems that can target coalition (U.S. and British) aircraft,” the US Central Command said in a statement. —Reuters/AFP

Putin questions US allies’ credibility

Daily Times Report

ST PETERSBURG: President Vladimir V Putin of Russia welcomed President Bush to his hometown on Saturday, then raised pointed questions about the reliability of two important American allies in the campaign against terrorism, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, the New York Times reported. In remarks made at MrBush’s side in the majestic setting of Catherine Palace outside St. Petersburg, Mr. Putin also suggested that the disappearance of Osama Bin Laden, the leader of Al Qaeda, was a major piece of unfinished business as the Bush administration focused its attention on a possible war in Iraq.

The Russian leader cast strong doubt on America’s choice of allies in the anti-terror campaign. “We should not forget about those who finance terrorism,” Mr. Putin said, adding bluntly that most of the 19 terrorists who committed the September 11 attacks “are citizens of Saudi Arabia, and we should not forget about that.”

Then, turning to Pakistan, Mr. Putin abruptly said: “Now where has Osama Bin Laden taken refuge? They say he is somewhere between Afghanistan and Pakistan.” Mr. Putin said that while he supported President Gen. Pervez Musharraf, he asked, “What can happen with armies armed with weapons that exist in Pakistan, including weapons of mass destruction?” He added, “We should not forget about this.” American diplomats say that Mr Putin has often expressed doubts about the trustworthiness of Pakistan as an ally, and has referred to the Pakistani military leadership in private conversations as “a junta with nukes.” Mr Bush, instead of responding to the Russian’s questions, simply brought the news conference to a close, saying: “We’ve got a plane to catch. Don’t keep us waiting.”

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