MOSCOW, February 4: In his most blunt statement so far, Russian President Boris Yeltsin has warned that the possible use of force by the United States in the Gulf could trigger a world war.Turning up the heat against the US, he accused President Bill Clinton of acting too leisurely in the dispute over United Nations (UN) weapons inspection in Iraq, saying ``one should be more careful about threatening to use nuclear weapons''.
``By his actions, he could run into a world war,'' Yeltsin said. ``He is behaving too loudly on this (possible military action), too loudly. We have to be more careful in the world, stacked with all kinds of weapons, some of which can be in the hands of terrorists. All of this is very dangerous,'' he noted.
``You cannot threaten that you will send planes and bombs,'' Yeltsin warned, adding ``This doesn't seem like Bill Clinton.''Yeltsin also said that in his telephonic talk with Clinton, he had made it clear that Russia was against the US policy of use of force againstIraq.
Yeltsin, who has kept a low profile and not spoken on the crisis since it began, said ``I have been preoccupied with Iraq problem so much as no one else has.''
``...Now taking into consideration my position and relations with Clinton, (German Chancellor Helmut) Kohl, and (French President Jacques) Chirac, I could play a big role.''
Washington has reiterated over the week that it will use force if Baghdad refuses to give unconditional and unfettered access to UN weapons inspection team on Iraqi Presidential sites.Russia has been involved in intensive rounds of diplomacy recently.
The Kremlin has sent its roving envoy Viktor Posuvalyuk on second mission to Baghdad, trying to avoid a military confrontation.Moscow has repeatedly called for diplomatic solution to the Iraqi crisis.Meanwhile, Russia Foreign Minister Yevgeny Prinmakov told mediapersons today that the situation in Iraq was ``under control,'' adding that he had been keeping Yeltsin posted of the developments in the Gulf.
He also saidYeltsin was continuously in contact with Clinton and French President Jacques Chirac.
Russia is anxious to preserve traditional, political and economic relations with Iraq, which still owes Moscow billions of dollars in debt from Soviet-era loans. Yeltsin is also being pressed to act tough by the Opposition-dominated Parliament, which passed a resolution on Tuesday, ``condemning American attempts to blackmail Iraq''.
In a related move, CNN quoting unspecified sources reported from Baghdad that Iraq has agreed to open eight Presidential sites for inspection on the condition that the findings will be placed directly to the UN Council and not to the arms panel.
Copyright © 1998 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.
