UNITED NATIONS -- Russian Foreign Minister Andrei Kozyrev on Monday played down the recent Iraqi military threat to Kuwait and said the Security Council should consider lifting the oil embargo against Iraq within six months.


But Kozyrev said he agreed with the resolution passed Saturday by the Security Council demanding Iraq withdraw all troops, adding that he "understood the intense concern of troop movements by Iraq's neighbors, first and foremost Kuwait."


Addressing the 15-member body about his recent trip to Baghdad, Kozyrev said Russia and other states had advance information on last week troop's maneuvers and reports that "Iraq was not planning to attack Kuwait."


The council met to hear Kozyrev as well as Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister Tareq Aziz.


It does not plan any action and the next review of Iraqi sanctions is in mid-November.


In his speech, Aziz failed to provide the expected clarification on when and how Iraq would recognize Kuwait. Iraq and Russia had issued a joint communique on Oct. 13 in which Baghdad promised to recognize the emirate in exchange for a lifting of sanctions.


In his address to the world body, Aziz read from the communique, saying simply: "This is our position."


He said, "The joint communique -- and I am quoting now -- said Iraq emphasized its readiness to positively solve the question of the recognition of the sovereignty of Kuwait and its borders decided by Security Council Resolution 833."


Resolution 833, adopted in 1993, accepts the report of a UN boundary commission that demarcated the border.


Addressing reporters after the session, Aziz added that Baghdad's recognition of Kuwait "was under consideration," giving no details on when this would be carried out.


Aziz spoke shortly after Iraq's National Assembly ended an extraordinary session, but he did not reveal whether members debated the issue.


U.S. Ambassador Madeleine Albright, who also addressed the Security Council on Monday expressed skepticism as to Iraq's intentions.


She said Washington did "not believe the crisis was over."


"I hope that no government on this council seriously doubts the danger that we avoided last week. The military threat was real," she said. "A force of elite and regular army units totaling some 80,000 was amassing in southern Iraq in much the same way as 1990," she added.


Later, in response to Aziz's comments she said: "Words are cheap. Actions are the coin of the realm and when they (the Iraqis) go through the steps which we have all outlined as being the actual fact of recognition, that will be the important part. Not that they are considering."


Council members have said the recognition had to be approved by Iraq's parliament, its Revolutionary Command Council and published in the country's official gazette.


On the issue of sanctions, Kozyrev said: "I think that in the course of further consideration of the question, the Security Council must be ready to take 'yes' for an answer if Iraq really complies with all the demands in all of the resolutions."