ST. PETERSBURG, October 24 (RIA Novosti) - Russia's foreign minister said Tuesday he did not rule out the danger of a split in Iraq if no progress is achieved in resolving the situation in the country.
A division of the country "will become a reality if no progress is reached and real unification does not begin in Iraq," Sergei Lavrov said.
He added that economic assistance to Iraq is pointless if the violence does not abate. While Russia has no military forces in the country, four Russian diplomats were abducted and killed there in June.
President Vladimir Putin has vowed to find those responsible, and Russia has pledged a $10 million reward for information leading to their capture.
Russia has been consistently critical of the U.S.-led military campaign in Iraq, with which it had extensive economic relations during the rule of Saddam Hussein. The invasion began in March 2003 on the ostensible pretext of eliminating Iraq's weapons of mass destruction, which never materialized.
