Russia condemns U.S. spy flights
From CNN Moscow Bureau Chief Jill Dougherty
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MOSCOW, Russia (CNN) -- Russia has protested U.S. intelligence flights near its borders, calling them "reminiscent ... of Cold War times."
The foreign ministry said Sunday it had sent a protest note to the U.S. embassy in Moscow. The ministry said the latest flight by a U-2 spy plane happened along the Russia-Georgia border on March 22 and followed previous flights on February 27 and March 7. The embassy was not immediately available for comment.
It is the latest deterioration in relations between Moscow and Washington. Russian President Vladimir Putin has consistently opposed U.S. policy over Iraq, saying the war questions the role of international law. (Full story)
In Sunday's statement, the foreign ministry said the U.S. justified the U-2 flights as necessary for "spotting and identifying international terrorists and their bases."
But the ministry challenged this, saying: "We have already brought to the notice of the American side our concern over such collection of intelligence near the Russian borders, which can hardly be of real use for the purpose of combating international terrorism and is more reminiscent of a practice that one associates with the Cold War times."
The flights "provoke additional tension in a region that is sensitive from the viewpoint of Russia's security interests", the ministry added.
Meanwhile the foreign ministers of Russia and China discussed Iraq in a telephone conversation Sunday, calling for an immediate end to military action.
"This war already has brought numerous human casualties among civilians," said the Russian foreign ministry.
"There is great destruction, the number of refugees is growing, and humanitarian problems are becoming more severe.
"Russia and China vehemently stand for the principle that only the U.N. Security Council can take a decision on the rebuilding of Iraq and Russia and China will actively push for that."
