In this issue:

Putin, Ivanov Lay Down the Line on Iraq

Russians Seek New UN Initiatives

General Ivashov Again Warns of Possible U.S. Nuclear Weapons Use

Russia Denies U.S. Charges of Sanctions-Busting

Iraq War Causing Deterioration of Russian-American Relations

Russia Tests ICBM; Says Unrelated to Iraq War

Chechnya Referendum for Unity with Russia Passes

Putin Continues To Revamp Security Services

British Lord Bails Out Berezovsky

From Volume 2, Issue Number 13 of Electronic Intelligence Weekly, Published Mar. 31, 2003
Russia and Central Asia News Digest

Putin, Ivanov Lay Down the Line on Iraq

With a toughness unparalleled from Russia since the days of the "Cold War," Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov addressed the Russian Federation Council March 26, on the official Russian government position concerning the war on Iraq. Two days later, President Vladimir Putin told members of Parliament that the crisis was one of the most serious since the end of the Cold War. Putin said that the war was "in danger of rocking global stability and the foundations of international law," and that "the only correct solution to the Iraqi problem is the immediate end to military activity in Iraq and the resumption of a political settlement in the UN Security Council."

Ivanov's speech is excepted here (for an earlier elaboration of Russian views by Ivanov, see INDEPTH, this issue).

He said: "It is already six days since large-scale military operations were launched, in violation of decisions of the UN Security Council, and in contradiction with the norms of international law. As President Putin stressed, the Iraq crisis has gone beyond the bounds of a regional conflict, and represents today a potential source of instability for other regions of the world.

"Already today, it becomes more and more obvious, how far removed from reality are the attempts, to present the military operation against Iraq as a triumphal campaign for 'liberation' of the Iraqi people with minimal destruction and human losses. Rocket and bombing strikes of enormous destructive power have been mounted against Baghdad and other Iraqi cities. As a result of massed bombardments, the number of victims is increasing, including in the civilian population. Historical and cultural monuments have been irretrievably damaged. The country's infrastructure is being destroyed, and its population deprived of electricity and water....

"All of this confirms the correctness of the evaluation of the war as a serious political mistake, made by President Putin on March 20....

"Russia together with other members of the Security Council, did everything possible, to avoid a military course in the Iraq problem. We believed, and continue to believe, that there are no solid reasons whatever, for launching war. Nobody provided convincing evidence, that Iraq supported international terrorism. And nobody demonstrated, that Iraq represents a military threat to any nation whatsoever....

"Unfortunately, the chance [for peace] was wasted, insofar as the USA and Great Britain set the main priority, not on the disarmament of Iraq, but on changing the political regime in that country. This violates not only the resolutions of the Security Council, but also the basic principles of the UN Charter....

"The attempt to impose this or that political structure upon a sovereign state is not only illegal, but is doomed to failure....

"The danger of a military solution of the Iraq problem lies also in the fact, that one illegal act inevitably leads to a further one. How can one otherwise understand, for example, the demand by the USA, that other countries should break diplomatic relations with Iraq, expel Iraqi diplomats, and freeze the bank accounts of Iraqi representatives? This concerns not a regime in Baghdad, but a sovereign nation, a member of the UN. Incidentally, we officially demanded from the USA, to supply the legal basis for such a demand....

"We continue to be committed to acting against any attempt to directly or indirectly legitimize the use of force against Iraq....

"This is why we consider, that there exists today no task, more important, than to stop the war immediately."

Russians Seek New UN Initiatives

In his March 26 Federation Council speech, Foreign Minister Ivanov presented three essentials to be discussed at a special session of the UN Security Council:

1) Instant cessation of war, return of Iraq issue to the agenda of the UN Security Council;

2) Review of the acute situation in Iraq, in terms of humanitarian needs, scope of destruction, and the like. If need be, UN blue helmets should be deployed to maintain order and security in Iraq;

3) Continuation of weapons inspections, with inspectors being allowed access to sites of interest, in Iraq.

Ivanov also observed that the present composition of forces at the Security Council did not correspond to the need to have all continents equally represented. Thus, he said he would like to see India, Germany, Japan, and other leading nations of Asia, Africa, and Ibero-America be seated as permanent members there. Such a reform would have to be discussed and supported by the majority of UN member states, through the General Assembly, he said.

Immediately after the Anglo-American invasion of Iraq, the Russian State Duma on March 21 called for President Vladimir Putin to ask the UN to deploy peacekeeping forces to Iraq, to intervene between the two parties. The resolution, passed 254-45, also called for Putin to "initiate the convocation of a special UN General Assembly session to discuss the aggression initiated by the U.S., Britain, and their allies," and restoration of Iraq by the UN following the war.

On March 25, Speaker of the Duma Gennadi Seleznyov issued a separate call for three measures be taken: 1) immediate cessation of war in Iraq; 2) rehabilitation of Iraq under United Nations control; 3) lifting of sanctions against Iraq. Noting the failure of the paralyzed UN Security Council to reach any decision, Seleznyov called for an emergency session of the UN General Assembly, to put an end to the war. "Citizens in the majority of countries insist on stopping the war," which should make it possible to convene such an emergency session of the UN, Seleznyov added.

Addressing the Duma March 21, Foreign Minister Ivanov said that the UNSC must "come up with a resolution that is not just an emotional outburst, but will have international effects," in regard to declaring the invasion an act of aggression.

General Ivashov Again Warns of Possible U.S. Nuclear Weapons Use

Interviewed on the popular radio station Ekho Moskvy on March 27, Russian General Leonid Ivashov pointed to the likelihood that a provocation would be staged to provide a pretext for U.S. or Israeli use of nuclear weapons in Iraq. Formerly chief of the Russian Defense Ministry's international section, Ivashov now works as a strategic analyst. He said the nuclear strike would most likely occur as "an answer" to an alleged Iraqi chemical or biological attack on Anglo-American forces. In fact, Ivashov claimed, Iraq is neither able to nor interested in launching such an attack. But given the fact that "lies and provocations have become the essence of U.S. policy" (Ivashov said), the danger of a staged incident, accompanied by a huge propaganda hype, is very large.

Asked why he thought a nuclear attack on Iraq is likely, Ivashov cited two reasons: First, the Anglo-Americans have not deployed sufficient ground troops to actually capture Basra, Kirkuk, Mosul, and other fortified Iraqi cities. This much "should be clear to anyone who has studied military science," Ivashov declared. Second, Ivashov pointed to the evidence of many U.S. official documents and statements, including by Defense Secretary Rumsfeld himself.

Ivashov elaborated the same analysis at a March 24 Moscow press conference. He warned that U.S. forces went into the Iraq war on the basis of propaganda, rather than real preparedness for the kind of combat they face. Now, the invaders' situation in Iraq will worsen, he said, and since winning this war is a matter of saving face, the Americans could be tempted to use small nuclear weapons. Commenting on the acute problems the U.S. and British troops have faced around Iraq's southern ports and at Nasiriya, Ivashov said that the Americans do not know really what storming a city implies. The fact that they were not welcomed as liberators but met strong Iraqi resistance, has deeply shocked them.

Russia Denies U.S. Charges of Sanctions-Busting

Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov denied U.S. charges that Russian firms sold military communications equipment to Iraq, in violation of UN sanctions. Speaking March 24, Ivanov said, "Russia strictly fulfills all its international obligations and has not supplied any equipment, including military, to Iraq, in violation of the sanctions regime." He added that the United States had been asking about such sales since October 2002, and that each alleged case had been investigated.

Iraq War Causing Deterioration of Russian-American Relations

"The Iraq war is bringing about a deterioration in American-Russian relations that is deeper than you may think," a Russian strategic analyst observed in a March 24 conversation with EIR News Service. "There is great anger at the Washington Post article of yesterday [March 23], claiming that the Russians have sent armaments to Iraq. There is anger at the Americans, that is growing qualitatively and quantitatively. It is especially strong in the Russian military, and this is very dangerous. It will not be easy to stop. There are now growing calls, for Russia to supply military equipment to Iraq, to help the Iraqis, and to boycott American goods."

The United States has officially complained to Russia that Russian companies have in fact supplied Iraq with proscribed military equipment (see preceding slug).

In his March 26 Federation Council speech, Foreign Minister Ivanov demanded that the United States desist from taking steps that would endanger long-term relations with Russia. He said Russia is "seriously worried, about the attempt of certain circles in the USA, to draw Russia into the 'information war' around Iraq" by charging Russian companies with supplying Iraq with military hardware. "President Putin reminded President Bush in a telephone call, that the Russian side had repeatedly provided information about the non-existence of such deliveries. I would add, that we made the most serious efforts to check American accusations on this matter, but no facts whatsoever were found."

Meanwhile, the Russian press is full of stories about a "diplomatic war" breaking out between the Russian government and the Bush Administration.

On March 26, Ivanov told the Russian press that only "after the solution of the Iraq conflict is returned to the Security Council, will it be possible for the Russian government to work for a ratification of the disarmament agreement" between the U.S. and Russia. The Duma has deferred consideration of the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty.

Russia Tests ICBM; Says Unrelated to Iraq War

The Russian military carried out a successful test-launch of a Topol intercontinental ballistic missile, from its northwestern Plisetsk base on March 27. "This has nothing to do with Iraq," an officer at the Russian Strategic Missile Forces press service told Agence France Press by telephone. "This had been in the planning for months."

Chechnya Referendum for Unity with Russia Passes

With voter turnout reported at above 85%, people in the Republic of Chechnya overwhelmingly approved a referendum calling for the territory to remain part of the Russian Federation. The vote in favor of a new draft Constitution and draft laws on Presidential and Parliamentary elections, worked out by the Akhmed-Hadji Kadyrov Administration in coordination with Moscow, was held on March 23, and came in at over 96% in favor. President Putin welcomed the result as "positive," while Kadyrov told ITAR-TASS March 24, "The people of Chechnya have said 'yes' to its new Constitution, which clearly defines the status of our republic as an inalienable part of the Russian Federation."

Still, active leaders of the attempt to break away from Russia—Aslan Maskhadov and his associates—denounced the vote as a "pseudo-referendum" without legitimacy. Many voters said they supported the referendum in order to finally stop the fighting that has lasted for more than a decade.

Putin Continues To Revamp Security Services

On March 25, President Vladimir Putin signed a number of additional decrees, completing the reform of the intelligence services and determining the future of the dissolved institutions. According to Kommersant, the functions of the dissolved Federal Agency for Government Communications and Information (FAPSI) will be distributed between three other services—the Federal Security Service (FSB), the Federal Guard Service (in which a Special Communications Directorate has been established), and the Foreign Intelligence Service (formerly the First Directorate of the Soviet KGB).

Additionally, Putin has carried out his promise to establish a new service, the Federal Economic and Tax Crimes Service, which will include most of the personnel of the dissolved Tax Police Service (FSNP), along with the Internal Affairs Ministry's Economic Crime Directorate. The Federal Economic and Tax Crimes Service will be subordinated to a special Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs Interior—Gen. Sergei Veryovkin-Rokhalsky, a former deputy of the FSNP's Director Mikhail Fradkov. On the day of the reorganization, the Prosecutor General's Office, with assistance from the internal security department of the reformed Tax Police Service, detained two top tax police figures, seizing them red-handed, for receiving a $20,000 bribe. These were Sergei Platonov, deputy head of FSNP's Inspection Department, and his subordinate Mikhail Petrovsky.

British Lord Bails Out Berezovsky

Exiled Russian business magnate Boris Berezovsky was detained by British police March 25 on an arrest warrant issued in Russia. He and his partner Yuly Dubov (general director of Logovaz trading company, author of a novel called The Big Share, and script-writer of its screen version, The Oligarch, glorifying Berezovsky and himself) had been wanted for the past month, on charges of embezzling funds from Aeroflot, the Russian national airline, in 1994-95.

Within hours, Berezovsky and Dubov were released on the request of Lord Bell, a former aide to Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and ex-Soviet dissident Vladimir Bukovsky, among others. According to Kommersant, the pair will be represented before a London magistrate by Peter Carter-Ruck & Co., "one of the best London-based law agencies," which has worked for Berezovsky since 1998, when he launched his "Caucasus Common Market" economic project with Thatcher intimate Lord Alistair McAlpine and Chechen racketeer Hozhakhmed Nukhayev.

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