Russia's President Vladimir Putin said on Tuesday that he has grave doubts regarding Iraq’s plans for January elections

Russia's President Vladimir Putin said on Tuesday that he has grave doubts regarding Iraq’s plans for January elections. He told Iraq's interim Prime Minister Iyad Allawi at the Kremlin he could not see how can Iraq hold elections while the country was under "full occupation". "I cannot imagine how elections can be organized in conditions of total occupation of the country by foreign troops," Putin said as he met Iraqi Prime Minister Iyad Allawi at the Kremlin. "At the same time, I don't understand how you alone can remedy the situation in the country and prevent its disintegration," he told Allawi. "I hope that during my meeting with you (Iyad Allawi) today we will manage to discuss all these complex and contradictory issues," Putin said. Correspondents said that the Russian leader's remarks on Tuesday were a veiled attack on the U.S.