YEKATERINBURG. Jan 22 (Interfax-AVN) - Russian Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov said he knows nothing about Washington's decision to carry out a military operation against Iraq.
"Given the information at my disposal, no decision has been made by the U.S. leadership to conduct a military operation in Iraq," the minister told the press in Yekaterinburg on Wednesday.
"A decision to use force is only for the UN Security Council to make," stressed Ivanov.
He recalled that international inspectors are to submit a report about the situation in Iraq to the UN Security Council on January 27.
"If the international inspectors decide they need more time to work in Iraq, they should be given that opportunity," said Ivanov.