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Russia rejects revised U.S. draft

By Vladimir Radyuhin

MOSCOW OCT. 22. Russia has rejected the revised draft of the United Nations Security Council resolution on Iraq brought by the United States, as disappointing and unacceptable, informed sources said here.

``The document in its principal aspects, differs little from previous U.S.-British proposals which were unacceptable to Russia and other Permanent Members of the U.N. Security Council,'' the sources told Russian news agencies on Tuesday. They voiced "disappointment'' with Washington's failure to live up to its promise "to take the positions of other countries into account and to reach a mutually-acceptable compromise.''

Russia's rejection of the new American draft coincided with a visit to Moscow of the U.S. Undersecretary of State, John Bolton. On Tuesday, Mr. Bolton met the Russian Foreign Minister, Igor Ivanov, to discuss Iraq and North Korea and to prepare a meeting between the Russian and U. S. Presidents, Vladimir Putin and George W. Bush, on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Council summit in Mexico later this week.

Russia has consistently opposed any unilateral U.S. military action against Iraq and turned down the earlier U. S.-British draft because it allowed automatic use of force against Iraq if it obstructed the work of U. N. weapons inspectors.

According to the RIA Novosti news agency, the new U. S. draft, while omitting direct reference to the use of force, warns Baghdad of "serious consequences'' if it fails to comply with the proposed resolution. ``Such wording can be used as justification for beginning military action,'' the news agency said.

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