Moscow: Solution To Iraqi Problem Will Take Political Will

Moscow believes that the solution to the Iraqi issue will take political will and the sides' readiness to find a reasonable compromise, Deputy Foreign Minister Vasily Sredin said to the press in the leadup to Egyptian leader Hosni Mubarak's visit to Moscow. The Russian official also stressed that Russia is doing its best to get the conflict settled. It proceeds from the necessity of political settlement of the Iraqi problem, in keeping with the fundamentals and norms of international law, said Sredin. He reminded that Russia had come up with a package solution to the aforementioned issue, which envisages suspension and subsequent lifting of sanctions as international monitoring is restored to see to it that Iraq does not resume any banned military programs. We suggest that Iraq and the UN Secretary General work out a specific way to realise the idea and to write it down in the memorandum on mutual understanding between the Iraqi government and the UN, the deputy minister pointed out. At the same time, Sredin particularly stressed the need to create favorable conditions for a fair political settlement of the Iraqi issue. The Russian Foreign Ministry maintains intensive contacts with both the Iraqi leadership and partners in the UN Security Council and also in the Arab world with a view to promoting Russia's initiative of package settlement, Sredin concluded.