Russia queries US military role in M.East: agencies

Reuters
Saturday, January 27, 2007

Russia expects the United States to explain its growing military presence in the Middle East when the countries next meet to discuss the region, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told Russian news agencies on Saturday.

"I have seen no change in Washington's fairly aggressive rhetoric," Lavrov said. "It continues, just like its actions to increase the military presence in the region. It will be one of the questions which we want to clarify in Washington. What's it all about?"

Lavrov is expected to take part in a meeting of the Middle East quartet group in Washington on February 2 to try to get a peace process between Israelis and Palestinians back on track. U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza is due to host the meeting.

The United States is in the process of sending an additional 21,500 troops to Iraq, which it invaded in 2003, to try to quell an insurgency. It already has 134,000 troops in the country.

Washington has said it is also deploying a second aircraft carrier group in the Gulf as well as Patriot missile defense systems -- steps widely seen as a warning to Iran and Syria.

It maintains a significant military presence in Kuwait, Qatar and Bahrain, which houses the U.S. Navy's Fifth fleet.

Lavrov also said unilateral U.S. sanctions against Iran would be counterproductive to efforts to resolve the problem of the country's nuclear ambitions and would force Tehran out of the negotiating process.

Russia's number 2 diplomat, Security Council Secretary Igor Ivanov, is due hold talks in Iran on Sunday and is expected to discuss nuclear issues.

Lavrov said Iran and Syria should not be isolated but should understand that they were expected to play a positive role and in return they would receive an appropriate position in the regional dialogue.

"We are deeply convinced that Iran and Syria should not be isolated but brought into the peace process," he said, speaking on return from a visit to India with President Vladimir Putin.

"In general, the problems that exist in the Middle East and in the surrounding region are linked to muddle-headed ideas about prestige. Someone says something once and from then on he can't break with this principle. This is an inflexible policy, and it's short-sighted."