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Russia Denies Support for "Smart Sanction" Against Iraq
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ordzhonikidze on Thursday denied foreign press reports about Moscow's alleged support for the British-US initiative of "smart sanctions" against Iraq.
"It is premature to speak about Russia's support of this initiative," said Ordzhonikidze, adding that the proposal has " many aspects, which are unclear for us." Russia is not the only one that has questions for this initiative, whose answers have not been presented in prior consultations, he added.
Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov told a press conference Wednesday that "for Russia there is no question of smart or not smart sanctions against Iraq."
Russia believes that "the U.N. Security Council resolutions on Iraq must be implemented, and the sanctions against that country must be lifted," Ivanov said.
The "smart sanction" draft, initiated by Britain Wednesday with the U.S. backing and to be submitted next week to the 15-member U. N. Security Council, proposes to end sanctions on all goods to Iraq except for weapons-related materials.
Iraq has rejected the initiative, blasting it as "a new political game which aims to tighten the 11-year-old unjust embargo on Iraq."
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