- BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Former
Russian Prime Minister Yevgeny Primakov arrived in Baghdad on an unexpected
mission for President Vladimir Putin, a Russian source in Baghdad said
on Sunday.
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- The visit comes amid U.S. and British efforts to secure
a new United Nations Security Council resolution expected to pave the way
for war against Iraq.
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- Iraqi and Russian officials said Primakov arrived late
on Saturday and had met senior aides to Iraqi President Saddam Hussein.
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- U.N. chief weapons inspector Hans Blix has ordered Iraq
to start destroying its al-Samoud 2 missiles by March 1 as part of the
process of disarming the country. Iraq has not yet responded to the demand.
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- Primakov, a Middle East expert and a long-time friend
of Saddam, did not appear in public in Baghdad and is believed to be staying
at one of the presidential palaces. He is expected to leave later Sunday,
the Russian source said.
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- The official gave no information on the nature of the
mission.
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- Primakov served as Russia's prime minister from 1998-99.
He traveled to Baghdad twice in 1990 as part of then-Soviet efforts to
avert a U.S.-led attack to drive Iraqi forces out of Kuwait. His missions
failed.
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- Russia, which has extensive economic interests in Iraq,
favors a peaceful solution to the Iraqi crisis over alleged weapons of
mass destruction. Moscow says it sees no need to use force against Iraq
and insists on allowing U.N. arms inspectors to continue their search for
banned weapons.
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- Russian delegations have visited Baghdad regularly since
the standoff with the United States began last year.
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- Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Saltanov traveled to
Iraq in January along with a delegation of Russian energy companies. Deputies
from Russia's State Duma lower house of parliament met Saddam in Baghdad
earlier this month.
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- Washington has massed tens of thousands of troops in
the Gulf for a possible attack on Iraq.
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- U.N. weapons inspectors continued their search in the
country Sunday.
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- Ballistic experts visited several installations associated
with weapons production outside the Iraqi capital, including al-Rafah factory
west of Baghdad. The head of Iraq's weapons monitoring department, Hussam
Mohammad Amin, is expected to discuss the missile issue at a news conference
Sunday at 3 p.m. GMT. It was not immediately known whether he would respond
to Blix's demand.
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