#6 - JRL 7139 SERGEI KARAGANOV: CHANGES IN RUSSIAN-U.S. RELATIONS CAUSED BY IRAQ WAR SHOULD NOT BE DRAMATISED MOSCOW, April 9th, 2003. /From a RIA Novosti correspondent/--Changes in Russian-U.S. relations caused by the Iraq war should not be dramatised, head of the Council for Foreign and Defence Policy under the Russian president's auspices reported. Moscow and Washington are "still in close contact at many levels" including the top one, Mr. Karaganov stressed at a Wednesday press conference in Moscow. That means that though the countries have a number of differences in one field they co-operate in others. "In this dangerous world an alliance between at least several states is necessary," he said. According to Sergei Karaganov, relations between the USA and Russia "will survive the Iraq war." Russian President Vladimir Putin's unofficial aide stressed that he in no case justified the U.S. military operations in Iraq. Mr. Karaganov described it as "ineffective." He also believes that they contradict international law. According to the Russian political analyst, "the further course of events will depend upon Iraqis' determination and losses of both sides."
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