Yeltsin's warnings dovetail with criticism of U.S. actions from Russia's nationalists and Communists in parliament. Unlike the confrontation with Iraq in 1990-91, there are few voices here today arguing for cooperation with the United States. Yeltsin said today he saw the crisis easing slightly. We still cannot say with confidence that everything is all right, that another heightening of tension is out of the question. Nevertheless, the recent peak of tension was brought down a little.
Tension is on the way down.
Yeltsin claimed Russia's position had attracted support from France and Italy. Russia's Foreign Ministry issued a statement saying the threat of U.S. military action remains. Deputy Foreign Minister Viktor Posuvalyuk remains in Baghdad, where he has been negotiating with Iraq's Deputy Prime Minister Tariq Aziz. Earlier this week, Russian officials had called his mission a success, saying he had worked out a compromise allowing for the conditional inspection of eight sites. Iraq denied there was any deal.