No Russians are Engaged in Iraq War Against U.S., Assures Iraq Diplomat

While addressing a press conference in Moscow on Monday, Iraqi Ambassador to Russia Abbas Khalaf assured that Russian citizens were not engaged in the hostilities in his country against the Americans. This is the Arabs' affair, and residents of some Arab countries are really fighting on Iraq's side against the British-American troops, said the diplomat.

The coalition troops have not thus far captured any of the Iraqi cities, he insisted.

"All the cities are offering a fierce rebuff to the aggressors," he emphasised.

As far as Baghdad is concerned, fighting is going on near the capital, in the area of Baghdad International Airport and on the city's southern outskirts. "The US troops that had entered Baghdad's environs have been crushed completely," the ambassador said referring to his country's information minister. "I can announce this officially," he said.

Iraq does not possess weapons of mass destruction and will not therefore use them, reiterated Mr Khalaf.

He positively refused to elaborate on his own plans for the future. "The Iraqi people's history is not coming to an end," he said. "The struggle will be on, an all-out and long struggle," he said emphatically.