Ministry has apologized Kiev, Aug 29, SPA -- A U.S. senator detained for threehours in a Russian airport while officials refused to letthe U.S. military flight take off said Monday that he hadreceived no explanation for the delay, but welcomed theRussian government's apparent apology, AP reported. Sens. Richard Lugar, an Indiana Republican and chairman ofthe Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and Barack Obama,an Illinois Democrat, were delayed for three hours at anairport in Russia's Ural Mountain city of Perm on Sunday.Russian border officials demanded that they be allowed toinspect the U.S. plane, but were refused by the Americans. Eventually allowed to leave, the U.S. senators arrivedlate Sunday in the Ukrainian capital. «We are not certain as to why or the particular activitythat caused that delay,» Lugar said, speaking briefly tojournalists in the Ukrainian parliament. «We are pleasedthat our flight was able to continue to Kiev, albeit threehours later.» He said U.S. Embassy officials informed the senators that«an official at the Foreign Ministry has issued an apologythis morning.» The Russian Foreign Ministry said it could not confirm ordeny the apology. The U.S Embassy could not confirm theinformation immediately.--mor1410 Local Time 1110 GMT www.spa.gov.sa/286992