Russia Welcomes Renewing Iraq-UN Talks

Home>>World

Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Wednesday, February 06, 2002

Russia Welcomes Renewing Iraq-UN Talks

The Russian Foreign Ministry on Tuesday welcomed Iraq's announcement that it was prepared to resume dialogue with the United Nations.

DISCUSSION

CHINESE

SEND TO FRIEND

The Russian Foreign Ministry on Tuesday welcomed Iraq's announcement that it was prepared to resume dialogue with the United Nations.

"Russia from the very start has backed the idea of direct dialogue between Baghdad and the UN," said Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman Alexander Yakovenko.

Russia, one of Baghdad's key allies, has long pushed for end to the international sanctions imposed against Ira Qafter Saddam Hussein's government invaded Kuwait in 1990. But the Russian Foreign Ministry angered Iraqi officials by urging them to allow U.N. weapons inspectors back in to the country in exchange for lifting the sanctions.

The inspectors left Baghdad in December 1998 ahead of U.S. and British airstrikes, and Iraq has barred them from returning, branding them "spies."

On Monday, Amr Mousa, the secretary-general of the Arab League, told U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan that Ira Qwould restart talks without any special conditions, according to the United Nations.

It was not immediately clear, however, whether Iraq was willing to discuss the return of the inspectors. The sanctions cannot be lifted unless U.N inspectors verify that Baghdad has dismantled its weapons of mass destruction.

"A prompt start of the negotiation process can open up real prospects for resolving the situation with Iraq, and give a new, positive impetus to the search for mutually acceptable solutions to the Iraq problem," Yakovenko said.

He said the topic was discussed during Iraqi Prime Minister Tariq Aziz's visit to Moscow late last month, and Russia reported the results of those discussions to Annan.

Russia has strongly pushed for lifting the sanctions, hoping that Iraq could start paying off its dlrs 7 billion Soviet-era debt to Russia and resume economic cooperation. Iraq has several prospective deals with Russian oil companies, but they are hold because of the sanctions.

Questions?Comments? Click here

UN Chief Meets With Arab League Leader on Iraq

Iraq Dismisses US Claims on Weapons of Mass Destruction