HIGHLIGHTS: Russia to Take Decision after Blix's Report Thursday||A Painful Choice for Russia Between Losing Face in the Arab World, a Traditional Region of Influence, or Jeopardizing its Partnership Posture with Washington||Kuwait Shares Moscow's Concerns over Unilateral Military Action Against Iraq|| Bush Gets Backing From Congressional Leaders for Authorization to Use Force Against Iraq||Debate About Whether a New UN Resolution on Iraq is Needed Spans Around the Globe|| STORY: Russia signaled a slight shift toward Washington on its Iraq policy on Wednesday, saying it would consider backing new U.N. resolutions if arms inspectors needed them.
"If any extra resolutions are required for the effective work of the inspectors we, of course, are ready to consider them," Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov told reporters.

Ivanov made his comments after Iraq agreed on Tuesday to re-admit the U.N. inspectors, who left in 1998.

He said the Security Council, where Russia has a veto, could pass additional resolutions only after it had heard a report by chief U.N. weapons inspector Hans Blix, set for Thursday.

OIL, ECONOMIC LINKS WITH IRAQ

On September 26, Russian President Vladimir Putin, whose country has close economic links with Iraq, said Moscow wanted the crisis to be settled with existing U.N. agreements.

Washington wants Moscow to support a U.N. resolution that would impose tougher inspections and be backed by the threat of military action should Baghdad fail to comply.

Alexei Malashenko, an Islamic expert at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace said, Russia had the uncomfortable choice of either losing face in the Arab world, a traditional region of influence, or squandering the capital it had built up with Washington in supporting its global war against terror.

Kuwaiti Defense Minister Sheikh Jaber al-Hamad al-Sabah, in Russia for talks with his Russian counterpart Sergei Ivanov, said Kuwait shared Moscow's position and would not support any unilateral action on Iraq.

"Kuwait supports the international community's resolutions on Iraq and does not support unilateral action against Iraq," he told reporters after the talks.

After talks with Blix and other U.N. officials in Vienna, Iraq agreed on Tuesday to let arms inspectors back into Iraq under existing U.N. agreements.

Secretary of State Colin Powell quickly rejected any resumption of inspections before a new Security Council resolution is in place

U.S. STEPS UP U.N. PRESSURE AS BUSH WARNS ATTACK MAY BE UNAVOIDABLE

Washington has meanwhile stepped up pressure to get tough with Iraq as President George W. Bush warned an attack may become unavoidable if Baghdad does not disarm.

Bush Wednesday won backing from congressional leaders for authorization to use force against Iraq's Saddam Hussein, as debate about whether a new UN resolution on Iraq was needed span around the globe.

US diplomats were to meet separately with British, French and Russian colleagues at the United Nations to try to craft new rules for arms inspections ahead of the Security Council briefing Thursday by chief UN inspector Hans .

In theory, the inspectors could return to Iraq under existing resolutions. This is what Baghdad wants. But Washington has said the resolutions are too restrictive and Powell has said the United States will seek to thwart any move to send Blix's team back until a new motion is approved.

Access to eight "presidential sites" is restricted under existing UN resolutions.

A draft US-British resolution being debated on the sidelines of the Security Council gives Iraq 30 days from the adoption of the resolution to produce and implement "an acceptable and currently accurate, full and complete declaration of all aspects of its programs to develop chemical, biological and nuclear weapons, ballistic missiles, and unmanned aerial vehicles."

PHOTO CAPTION

Russian Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov (L) is seen with his Kuwaiti counterpart Sheikh Jaber al-Hamad al-Sabah prior to talks at the Defense Ministry in Moscow, October 2, 2002. Ivanov said Russia would consider backing new U.N. resolutions if arms inspectors needed them. (Pool via Reuters)