The Foreign Ministry said today Iraq's failure to free 1,000 Soviets could lead to a ``tougher attitude'' toward Iraq's invasion of Kuwait. Foreign Ministry spokesman Vitaly Churkin demanded the immediate release of the Soviets. He also told reporters Foreign Minister Eduard A. Shevardnadze met with Foreign Minister Tariq Aziz of Iraq for four hours today to reiterate the demand that Iraq withdraws its troops from Kuwait. Churkin said Foreign Minister Saud al-Faisal of Saudi Arabia would meet with Shevardnadze on Tuesday to discuss the Persian Gulf crisis. He said Iraq agree to allow 1,000 Soviets, mostly contract workers, to leave during November but that only about 350 were permitted to do so. When Iraq invaded Kuwait on Aug. 2, there were about 8,000 Soviets, including several hundred military advisers, in Iraq. About 3,000 Soviets, including women and children, were allowed to leave shortly after the invasion and about 1,000 left during September and October. Churkin said Iraq agreed to allow another 1,000 to leave in November, but is not living up to its promise. ``Iraq is not keeping its agreement that our citizens will not be prevented from leaving,'' he said. ``This is totally abnormal and unacceptable.'' He added, ``If Iraq does not immediately remove obstacles and allow our citizens to leave, this will complicate the present situation even further and force us to take a tougher attitude.'' Churkin said that to his knowledge, no Soviets were being detained at potential military targets. ``All (Soviet) nationals are still where they were before the crisis,'' he said. Iraq has prevented hundreds of foreigners from leaving Iraq and Kuwait since Saddam Hussein's troops overran the emirate four months ago. It has been slowly releasing some foreigners.
