Ambassador Vladimir Titorenko drove into Iraq from Syria, to where he had been evacuated Monday, to fetch a Russian embassy driver who was wounded in the shooting incident and who had been left behind in an Iraqi hospital, as well as a Russian diplomat who had stayed to look after him.

The three men were met by diplomats with the Russian embassy in Damascus after they crossed into Syria, the unidentified diplomatic sources in Moscow said.

Titorenko, who had arrived Monday in Damascus with a Russian diplomatic convoy that left Baghdad Sunday, had earlier been expected to fly on to Moscow.

On Tuesday a plane landed in Moscow from the Syrian capital Damascus carrying 12 people including three Russian diplomats who were wounded when their road convoy came under fire Sunday, Interfax reported.

Titorenko, who was slightly hurt in the incident, alleged that US forces had deliberately opened fire on his convoy.

The United States scrambled Tuesday to prevent its ties with Russia from deteriorating further over the weekend incident, offering high-level assurances that it took the matter extremely seriously and that a full investigation was underway.

According to eyewitness accounts, the convoy was caught in crossfire between US and Iraqi soldiers, although it was not clear which side shot first.

Titorenko told the ITAR-TASS news agency on Monday that the convoy had not deviated from the agreed-upon time and route for departure and that US forces had deliberately shot at the vehicles.

Titorenko's account directly contradicted US suggestions that Iraq might have set up the attack by instructing the convoy's drivers to take a different route than had been agreed upon with US diplomats, in order to create an international incident.

The 12 Russian diplomats who remained in Baghdad will not be evacuated from the besieged city for the time being, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Saltanov said Tuesday.

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