Will Russia Use Veto Right?

America still shows pressure on Russia

Washington intensifies its pressure on Moscow. The United States of America is in need Russia’s support. America gives Russia to understand that its refusal will have a negative influence on Russian and American relations. A senior American diplomat (he wished to remain anonymous) stated in Moscow that if Russia was going to eventually use its veto right, it would have to pay for that.

The Iraqi crisis is like a test, which reveals the real situation with the world order that was formed after the Cold War. Someone, for example, Americans, would have their own objections about that at once. They would rather say that it is just getting started. Others, for example, France, Germany and Russia would try to convince the USA that there is no other alternative to the United Nations. Revolutionaries have less proponents than traditionalists, although it is very relative. Washington’s excessive ambition is supported with billions of dollars. This is a very relevant argument to deal with for London, Madrid, Rome and other countries. A little boat will never be ahead of a large one, so to speak. The leaders of those countries have taken this argument into their consideration and joined the United States of America, having disregarded the opinion of their own citizens. PRAVDA.Ru has repeatedly raised this issue in a series of articles devoted to the Iraqi crisis and the way European countries reacted to it.

The second group of countries, so-called traditionalists, are getting ready to have a fight with Americans on Friday (during another session of the UN Security Council for Iraq). It is not about Saddam Hussein, whether he is good or bad. It is about a principle. Hussein’s regime is destined to be crushed. The situation went too far, sometimes there is no other choice, but either Saddam or Bush, so to speak. It is not even about traditionalists’ economic interests in the Persian Gulf region. If the States overthrow Saddam with the help of its military force, America will show everyone their places. “Old Europe” (as Donald Rumsfeld put it, talking about France and Germany) is not going to obtain anything from that, not to mention Russia.

Foreign ministers of Russia, France and Germany approved a joint statement in Paris yesterday. The ministers believe that the military operation in Iraq is unacceptable; they agreed to impede the UN Security Council with passing the resolution, which allows the use of military force against Baghdad. US Secretary of State Colin Powell is expected to take part in the session as well. France and Russia, as constant UN Security Council members, are ready to use their veto right at the voting.

Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov has recently answered questions, which were asked by BBC website visitors. The minister left out tricky questions, obscured everything, and did not say anything precise about it.

Is Russia ready to use its veto right to prevent the single-handed attack on Iraq?

To be honest, I am surprised about the veto issue, the attention that people have been paying to it recently. We have been striving for unity at the UN Security Council for years. We because we believe that it is only the unity of council’s members that can guarantee success in the solution of the Iraqi issue.

Can you please comment on the assertion, which says that Russia is not going to use the veto right at the voting of the UN Security Council, and that Russia’s stand on the issue simply jacks up the price of the whole problem?

We have been running consistent and logic policy throughout the whole crisis. We do not deal either with haggling or intrigues. We have a clear goal, which was formulated in the very beginning: to disarm Iraq completely.

What is Russia going to do, if the USA attacks Iraq, despite Russia’s veto or objections?

First and foremost, I would like to stress out that if the USA and those countries, which act with it, launch the war on Iraq in a single-handed way, contrary to the UN Security Council resolution on that, it will be a very serious mistake to make. Of course, it will have very serious consequences.

CNN photo

Dmitry Litvinovich
PRAVDA.Ru

Translated by Dmitry Sudakov