Iraq will officially recognize Kuwait's sovereignty and borders Thursday, Russian diplomats said Wednesday.
Russian Foreign Minister Andrei Kozyrev's hastily planned trip to Baghdad Wednesday "commits the Iraqi leadership to officially register" its recognition of Kuwait, Deputy Foreign Minister Boris Kolokolov told the Interfax news agency."We are proceeding from the premise that this official registration will take place during Andrei Kozyrev's trip to Baghdad," Kol-o-ko-lov said.
And Moscow's top Middle East diplomat said the Iraqi Parliament and Cabinet would pass decisions Thursday to make the official recognition.
Viktor Posuvalyuk said Kozyrev scheduled a meeting with Iraqi President Saddam Hussein Wed-nesday evening in a move to usher the decision through sessions of the nation's Parliament and Cabinet Thursday before returning to Moscow.
Russia will demand that Iraq make the recognition "without any conditions or reservations," said Posuvalyuk, who is traveling the Russian foreign minister.
The United States and other U.N. Security Council members downplayed the announcement.