MOSCOW UNDERSCORES RELATIONS WITH IRAQ.

A Russian trade official said yesterday that Iraq could soon become Moscow’s primary partner in the Middle East. According to Igor Bukharov of Russia’s Ministry of Foreign Economic Relations, trade turnover between Russia and Iraq following the lifting of UN sanctions on Baghdad could quickly reach $1.2-$1.5 billion per year. Practical measures to boost trade will be discussed at a Russian-Iraqi trade commission meeting, scheduled to convene in Baghdad March 18-20, Bukharov said. (Interfax, March 11)

Shaposhnikov Named to Presidential Post.