Russian exec hits US on posture vs Iraq

The world’s only remaining superpower shouldn’t also be its resident bully.

In an interview in a suite ironically bearing the name of a legendary American general, the visiting speaker of Russia’s parliament scored yesterday the looming US invasion of Iraq, saying no country should fashion itself as constable of the world.

"This world would be completely changed if one country would be able to act as policeman of the world," Gennady Seleznev, chairman of the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation, told The STAR yesterday in an exclusive interview at the Douglas MacArthur Suite of the Manila Hotel.

"Iraq is an independent state. It is not the 53rd state of the US," added Gennady, the highest-ranking Russian lawmaker to visit the Philippines. A former crusading journalist in Russia, he is in Manila upon the invitation of his local counterpart, Speaker Jose de Venecia. Seleznev and his 22-man delegation leave Manila today.

"We, including the absolute majority of Russian society, believe that only with the consent of the United Nations Security Council can one country interfere with another sovereign country. Without this consent, it is not right," stressed Seleznev, a former communist and the editor-in-chief for 18 years of one of Russia’s leading newspapers. He said Russian President Vladimir Putin also shared this view.

Seleznev, who formed his own left-of-center party, "Revival of Russia," after bolting the communist party, said that if the UN mission to Iraq concludes that the Middle Eastern state has none of the alleged weapons of mass destruction in its arsenal, "the economic sanctions against Iraq must be lifted."

"The US once threatened to invade Cuba because it did not like its leader Fidel Castro. And now, they do not like the leader of Iraq (Saddam Hussein), so they want to topple him. Who knows, one day, they would not like the leader of the Philippines and they will threaten to topple him, too," Seleznev added.

The world teetered on the brink of war in the early ’60s with the Bay of Pigs invasion, and the subsequent Cuban missile crisis whose leading players were US President John F. Kennedy and Russian Premier Nikita Khrushchev.

Seleznev said that Russia would like to "draw the attention of the international community to the existence of the Security Council. It exists, and it works," he said.

But Seleznev stressed that Russia stood foursquare behind efforts to crush terrorism and its roots, and claimed it was in the forefront of the anti-terror effort, "even before Sept. 11, 2001."

"We support all efforts against terrorism. We faced this challenge when we saw that Chechen separatists were supported by international terrorist networks, including that of Osama bin Laden," said Seleznev, who met with President Arroyo at Malacañang the other day.

"Chechen terrorists underwent raining in Bin Laden’s camps. We told the international community, but nobody wanted to listen," he claimed.

Seleznev also said he is Manila because of Russia’s growing interest in the Asia-Pacific region, to which a large part of its territory belongs. Russian Ambassador Anatoly Nebogatov, who was also present during the interview, said Russia is only three days away by boat from Manila, closer than the Philippines’ other oil suppliers.

He said Mrs. Arroyo expressed interest in importing oil from Russia and recharging economic and trade ties between Russia and the Philippines.

At present, total trade between the two countries stands at about $240 million, while trade between Russia and Thailand is about $500 million.

Seleznev said Russians look with interest at electronics, fruits and garments from the Philippines.