Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov said Friday that Moscow saw no reason at the moment for a new U.N. Security Council resolution that would give the go-ahead for U.S.-led military operations against Iraq. Moving close to the French position ahead of a state visit to Paris by President Vladimir Putin , Ivanov put the emphasis on the work of U.N. arms inspectors in Iraq and said a political solution to the crisis could still be worked out. "If there was a need for an additional resolution to ensure that the (U.N. arms) inspectors' work in Iraq continued, we would be ready to consider this option," Ivanov told reporters.

"But today there are no grounds to talk about a resolution which would authorize the use of force against Iraq," he said.

He added it was still "fully possible" to find a political solution to the issue of the stocks of weapons of mass destruction that Washington says Iraq holds.

Deputy Foreign Minister Yuri Fedotov said earlier that any further action depended on reports by the chief U.N. arms inspectors -- Hans Blix and Mohamed ElBaradei -- who are due to make another trip to Baghdad this week.

Ivanov made his remarks after President Bush said he would welcome approval of a new resolution to authorize military action against Iraq.

Bush spoke after Secretary of State Colin Powell gave a lengthy presentation to the Security Council accusing Iraq of failing to disarm and of deceiving arms inspectors about their stockpiles of chemical and biological weapons.

Ivanov's words -- which did not rule out Russian support for a resolution on use of force at some point in the future -- mirrored those of his French opposite number, Dominique de Villepin, Thursday.

Both Russia and France are permanent members of the U.N. Security Council and have the right to veto any resolution.

Putin will meet French President Jacques Chirac during a three-day visit to France from Monday which will be dominated by the Iraq crisis. He will spend a night in Germany on the way.

The Kremlin said Thursday that Putin and Chirac had agreed in a telephone conversation that a diplomatic solution was needed and spoke of their "coinciding positions."

But Putin himself has also used rougher language toward Iraq, bluntly warning it on January 28 that Moscow would toughen its stand if Baghdad hindered the inspections.

Many analysts say Putin does not want to jeopardize his new-found partnership with Bush, which he sees as crucial for Russia's economic recovery.

And, despite Russia's current position, these analysts doubt Moscow would use its veto to block any future resolution in the United Nations authorizing U.S. military action.

PHOTO CAPTION

Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov speaks at a news conference in Moscow, Thursday, Feb. 6, 2003. Ivanov said Thursday that Russia's position on Iraq had not changed following U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell's speech outlining Iraq's alleged weapons program. (AP Photo/Dmitry Lovetsky)