¡¡¡¡MOSCOW, Jan. 5 (Xinhuanet) -- Russian Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov on Sunday warned against any military action against Iraq without the approval from the United Nations, regarding such an operation as illegitimate and unjustified.

¡¡¡¡"We will not regard a military operation against Iraq as legitimate or justified, should it begin without UN sanction," Ivanov was quoted by the Interfax news agency as saying during a visit to the Siberian city of Chita.

¡¡¡¡However the minister said he believed the United States would respect the UN position when making a final decision.

¡¡¡¡"At the same time, I believe that in making its final decision,the United States leadership will be guided by the results of the international inspectors' work and the UN Security Council's discussions of this issue," he said.

¡¡¡¡Once the inspectors' report is on the table, detailed discussions will then be possible on which of Iraq's possessions can be regarded as weapons of mass destruction and which cannot, he added. Enditem