BY FERAI TINC
HURRIYET- Columnist Ferai Tinc writes on Russia’s Iraq policy. A summary of her column is as follows:
‘Is Russia changing its Iraq policy?’ I asked Ilyas Umahanov, a young Russian politician very influential in Russian foreign policy, after he arrived in Istanbul yesterday to attend the Sixth Eurasian Economic Summit. ‘Yes, it is,’ he responded. ‘Russia has recently altered its stance on the Iraq issue. Our government believes that international decisions should be made in line with United Nations resolutions. I think discussions on the Iraq issue haven been calmer and more rational recently. Everybody’s trying to understand what’s going on.’
Russia, like Germany and France, believes that the Iraqi government should be run by the Iraqi people themselves and that the transitional administration should be immediately handed over to them. However, after his meeting with US President George Bush last week, Putin underlined that they had determined a ‘realistic’ timetable for this process. Putin’s words indicated a significant change in Russian policy on Iraq, as Moscow doesn’t want to miss out on having an active role in the country’s reconstruction. It’s also clear that Putin doesn’t want to be at odds with Washington.
‘Nobody should expect rapid progress in Iraq,’ added Umahanov. ‘It faces many problems -- political, economic and ethnic. Moreover, the transition to democracy itself will be difficult.’ Clearly, Umahanov doesn’t expect US forces to leave Iraq anytime soon.
A new Iraq draft resolution prepared by Washington was presented to the UN yesterday. Discussions on the bill are continuing. Will the US manage to win international legitimacy this time? This is an important question for us. At the opening session of our Parliament this week, President Ahmet Necdet Sezer stated that the issue of possible Turkish troop deployment to Iraq should be debated by the chamber.
‘Negotiations based on mutual understanding are still continuing,’ added Umahanov. ‘Stability in Iraq should be quickly established. Russia wants to contribute to this process in line with the relevant UN resolutions. I believe our two countries must cooperate on this issue. Recent developments in the region are very important to both of us. If Turkey wants to deploy its troops there, it should act in line with the UN resolutions. That’s what Russia believes.’