IRAQ-KUWAIT: Russia Plays Key Role as Baghdad Recogises Emirate

MOSCOW, Nov 10 (IPS) - Russia Thursday scored a major diplomatic victory when Iraqi lawmakers in Baghdad voted to recognise Kuwaiti sovereignty in a deal which could ultimately lead to the lifting of the United Nations oil embargo on Iraq.

But there were indications that the initiative will be met with a churlish response in the United States which has already stated that Iraqi recognition of Kuwait is not enough.

Iraq's National Council (parliament) voted by majority to recognise the sovereignty and borders of Kuwait, paving the way for a political settlement of tension in the Persian Gulf.

Russian Foreign Minister Andrei Kozyrev earlier addressed the lawmakers and called on them to support the decision which had been taken by the revolutionary command council headed by Iraqi President Saddam Hussein, the Itar-Tass news agency reported from Baghdad.

"The security of Iraq cannot be ensured without peace with neighbours. By voting in favour of this decision, you will vote for lasting security of Iraq itself and for unlocking the issue concerning the lifting of sanctions, which bear heavily on the people of your country," Kozyrev reportedly told Iraqi parliament.

Kozyrev had last month worked out the elements of a regional peace plan during a visit to Baghdad, Kuwait and the Saudi Arabian capital of Jeddah. He had later presented the proposals to the U.N. Security Council which however insisted that there would be no encouragement for Iraq until it formally acknowledged Kuwait's right to exist as a sovereign state.

On Wednesday, he flew to Baghdad to meet Hussein after earlier talks in the Russian capital with Iraqi deputy prime minister Tariq Aziz.

In his address to Iraqi lawmaker, the Russian foreign minister said that Russia more than anyone else was keen on promoting a durable peace settlement in the Persian Gulf region.

The official Russian Itar-Tass news agency quoted him as saying: "We recently proved this once again by staving off a new military threat from the southern border of your country. Peace based on legality and justice will enable Russia to re-establish close contacts with Iraq -- our long-standing and important partner in the Arab world."

Washington poured troops into Kuwait and Saudi Arabia last month after Iraqi troops had moved south. They later withdrew after a U.N. Security Council warning.

© Inter Press Service (2014) — All Rights Reserved. Original source: Inter Press Service