Russia blasts U.S., Britain for Iraq raids

Russia condemned Britain and the United States on Saturday for a new wave of air strikes against Iraq and called for an immediate end to military action against Baghdad.

Dozens of U.S. and British warplanes struck three air defence sites in southern Iraq on Friday. Baghdad said the planes had attacked civilian targets, killing one Iraqi and injuring 11.

"Statements by the Pentagon that August 10 strikes were launched against a communications centre, an anti-aircraft battery and a radar station in no way justify the use of force by the United States and Britain against a sovereign state," Russia's Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

"Such action, carried out in circumvention of the U.N. Security Council, is a blatant violation of the norms of international law and does nothing but complicate the search for a solution to the Iraqi problem," it said.

U.S. defence officials said the attack was a pre-emptive strike against President Saddam Hussein's increasingly sophisticated air defences which endangered the lives of U.S. and British pilots patrolling "no-fly" zones over Iraq.

The Foreign Ministry urged an immediate cessation of attacks against Baghdad to pave the way for the resumption of talks between Iraq and the United Nations on the return of international arms inspectors to Iraq in exchange for lifting of trade sanctions.

British and U.S. pilots patrol "no-fly" zones over northern and southern Iraq that were set up after the 1991 Gulf War with the stated aim of protecting Kurds and Shiites in those regions from Saddam's forces.