Kremlin vows to stop war on Iraq
By Richard Beeston in Moscow
25may02

THE US and Russia last night signed a historic arms treaty, but even before 
President George W.Bush arrived in Moscow on a three-day visit the two sides 
were arguing openly over Iran and Iraq.

The Kremlin denied US charges it was permitting the transfer of nuclear 
technology to Tehran, and promised to do everything in its power to stop a 
new US-led war against Baghdad.

The message was delivered by Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov in two TV 
interviews. Mr Ivanov dismissed allegations made by the Bush administration 
that Russia was helping Iran to develop a nuclear weapons program. He said 
the construction of a nuclear power station by Russian technicians in 
southern Iran complied with international obligations and Moscow had no 
intention of scrapping the project.

Earlier, Mr Bush warned Russia's sales of missile and nuclear technology to 
Iran could endanger the world, including Moscow.

"If Iran gets a weapon of mass destruction ... that's going to be a problem 
for all of us, including Russia," Mr Bush said in Berlin before leaving for 
Moscow, where he arrived on Thursday on the second leg of a seven-day visit 
to Europe. Mr Bush said he intended to press that argument with Mr Putin.

Mr Ivanov said the Kremlin would try to stop the US using force to topple 
President Saddam Hussein, whose regime owes Russia billions of dollars in 
unpaid contract payments.

Despite the row, officials had no fears for the outcome of the meeting, 
where agreements were also signed on co-operation in the war against terror, 
energy, foreign policy and bilateral issues.

Certainly, Moscow offered Mr Bush a respite after thousands of anti-US 
demonstrators greeted him in Berlin and were in turn met by even larger 
numbers of riot police. The authorities in Moscow allowed fringe groups to 
hold a small rally outside the US embassy where about 400 mainly elderly 
diehard communists waved red flags and chanted anti-US slogans.

The arms control treaty cuts strategic nuclear weapons by a third to between 
1700 and 2000 warheads each.

The agreement is being touted as a landmark by officials on both sides, but 
defence experts are more sceptical, saying the wording of the document is 
vague and the treaty reflects Moscow's decision to reduce stockpiles it can 
no longer afford to maintain while allowing the US to store thousands of 
warheads that could be brought back into service.

"The desire to create the image of a great breakthrough at the summit has 
pushed officials on both sides to publicise vague ideas that will create 
false expectations," Pavel Felgenhauer, a Russian military expert, said.
The Australian.