[spyretto]

MOSCOW, Oct. 18 - President Vladimir V. Putin said Monday that international terrorists in Iraq hoped their attacks would unseat President Bush in the election next month, and that such an outcome might embolden their efforts and lead to more terrorist acts.

Mr. Putin spoke at a news conference at a regional meeting in Dushanbe, the capital of Tajikistan. A transcript was provided here by the Kremlin. He was asked how the war in Iraq would influence the election, and which candidate - President Bush or Senator John Kerry - would be better for him personally.

Mr. Putin's answers were oblique. He quickly pointed out that Russia opposed the war in Iraq and that "today our views with President Bush differ significantly on this question."

But then he presented an opinion he had not publicly expressed before, saying, "The attacks of international terrorism in Iraq are directed today not only and not so much against the international coalition forces as against President Bush personally," and that terrorists have "the goal of preventing Bush's election.''

He later said, darkly, "We must understand that in this case this will give international terrorism an added impulse in their activities, will give them additional strength and may lead to their growing activity in the various regions of the world."

Iraq has been plagued since last year by attacks from insurgents of various nationalities, faiths, ethnicities and insurgent groups. They are generally not thought to be alike in their thinking or ambitions, although American officials have said they have detected signs of collaboration among some of them.

Mr. Putin, who lumped the attacks under one label, offered no support for his claim to know their goals.

Although he said that "we, without a doubt will respect any choice of the American people," the sum of his comments was regarded here as a signal that he preferred Mr. Bush.

"This is the hidden message, but not very well hidden," said Masha Lipman, a political analyst at the Carnegie Moscow Center.

She described Mr. Putin's remarks as "odd," but said they might naturally reflect his satisfaction with his personal relationship with Mr. Bush, which both men have characterized as comfortable.

Yeah, he didn't endorse Bush, just said that terrorists will be "safer" under Kerry, when security has been the number one issue to decide these elections.