Kozyrev Said to Be Meeting Aziz

ST. PETERSBURG -- Foreign Minister Andrei Kozyrev arrived in St. Petersburg on Thursday on a secret presidential assignment and will probably be negotiating with Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister Tariq Aziz, news reports reported. Itar-Tass and Interfax said Aziz is in Russia on a private visit. His meeting with Kozyrev will apparently focus on prospects for lifting a United Nations oil embargo against Iraq, Itar-Tass said. Kozyrev, who arrived in Russia's second-largest city from Belgrade, told the news agency only that his trip was linked to an "assignment from President Boris Yeltsin."Interfax cited diplomatic sources as saying Kozyrev planned talks with Aziz. The Foreign Ministry would not comment on the report. Spokesman Grigory Karasin said Kozyrev's trip was mostly "to observe preparations for the British Queen's visit to the city," Interfax reported. Queen Elizabeth II reportedly is to visit the city this fall. Deputy Foreign Minister Boris Kolokolov said Tuesday that Russia might soon begin efforts to lift international sanctions against Iraq, if that country fully implements UN Security Council resolutions. "At present, we are proposing in the Security Council that note be taken of the fact that Iraq is complying with many provisions of the disarmament resolutions," Kolokolov said. "We are ready to act as initiators." The sanctions were imposed in 1990 after Iraq's invasion of Kuwait, and were continued after the subsequent Gulf War in an effort to force Iraq to observe the new border and get rid of its weapons of mass destruction. In recent months, with reports of Iraqi compliance with UN weapons inspections, the Security Council has split over whether to take moves to lift the sanctions. The former Soviet Union was a major weapons supplier to Baghdad and had numerous advisers stationed there before the Gulf War. Today, many Russian hardliners view Iraq as Moscow's natural ally and demand the lifting of UN sanctions.