Moscow: Russia on March 7 said there are no plans to grant political asylum to Iraqi
President Saddam Hussain if he is ousted after a US-led military offensive.
A top Russian official said Russia was not approached with any requests of asylum
and that there are no such plans.
"The Iraqi leader never approached the Russian authorities with the request for
political asylum for himself and his associates," chief of the Presidential
department for citizenship affairs, Vladimir Shumov, was quoted as saying by the
ITAR-TASS news agency.
"This issue (granting asylum to Saddam) was never considered, nor there any such
plans," he said.
He reminded that last time Russia had granted political asylum to a North Korean
citizen in 1992, who since then has left for South Korea.
Meanwhile, the Russian media has not ruled out Belarus giving asylum to Saddam and
his associates.
According to NTV, the mayor of Baghdad is in the Belarus capital Minsk on a two-week
visit, who could be negotiating with the local authorities on granting asylum to
Saddam and his close associates.
PTI
