Russia slams US, UK bombings
2002-12-27 17:58
Moscow - Russia expressed "serious concern" on Friday over US and British air strikes against Iraq that Baghdad officials said killed at least three civilians.
In the latest defence of its traditional Middle Eastern ally, Russia said the bombings of Iraq were made without agreement from the United Nations and only complicated the security situation in the region.
"Moscow observes with seriously concern the continuing US and British air strikes against Iraqi targets - which include civilian ones," the Russian foreign ministry said in a statement.
"Russia once again persistently calls (on other powers) to refrain from actions against Iraq that infringe on its sovereignty," the statement added.
Russia again called on the United States and Britain to abide by UN Security Council resolution 1441, which calls on the Iraqi leadership to come clean on its military program, and offer unfettered access to UN weapons inspectors.
Iraq's official INA news agency reported that three Iraqi civilians were killed and another 16 wounded on Thursday in an air raid by US and British warplanes on southern Iraq.
Earlier, US Central Command said US and British aircraft attacked an air military communications facility in southern Iraq in retaliation for the downing of an unmanned US spy plane earlier this week.
It said the attack with precision-guided weapons came at 08:00 (05:00 GMT) on the facility near Tallil, about 280 kilometres south-east of Baghdad.
The attack was in retaliation for Monday's downing of a Predator spy drone by Iraqi anti-aircraft fire and warplanes which entered the "no-fly" zone over the southern part of the country, the command said.
The air-exclusion zones over northern and southern Iraq set up after the Gulf war are enforced by US and British air patrols, though Baghdad has long opposed them and they exist without the sanction of a specific UN resolution. - Sapa-AFP
- SAPA