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Russia vows support

By Vladimir Radyuhin

MOSCOW MARCH 11. Russia has promised Iraq that it will reject any Security Council resolution that will authorise the use of force against that country.

The promise was contained in a message from the Russian President, Vladimir Putin, to the Iraqi leader, Saddam Hussein, carried to Baghdad by the Speaker of the Russian Parliament Lower House, Gennady Seleznyov.

Mr. Seleznyov, who had a three-hour meeting with Mr. Hussein on Sunday, described his one-day visit as "very successful.'' ``Iraq reaffirmed willingness to comply with all provisions of (Security Council) resolution 1441, and we reiterated that we will not pass any resolutions allowing the Americans and the British to invade Iraq,'' he said today upon return from Baghdad. Mr. Seleznyov, who is No. 3 in the Russian hierarchy after the President, is the highest Russian official to visit Iraq in years. The visit could reflect Moscow's growing confidence that war can be delayed, if not averted altogether.

Mr. Seleznyov is the Russian President's second envoy to meet Mr. Hussein in the past two weeks. Mr. Putin has used this lifeline between Moscow and Baghdad to fine-tune Russia's position on the crisis. Last month, the former Russian Prime Minister, Yevgeny Primakov, visited Baghdad to get Mr. Saddam's assurances about the destruction of Al-Samoud 2 missiles two days before Iraq announced its compliance with the inspectors' demand. The advance knowledge enabled Russia to cement the anti-war coalition with France, Germany and China ahead of a U.N. Security Council meeting.

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