Moscow Sees No Reasons for Military Action Against Iraq

Moscow still sees no reasons for the use of military force against Iraq, official spokesman for the Russian Foreign Ministry Alexander Yakovenko told Russian journalists on Wednesday, commenting upon George Bush's address to the US Congress.

"The potential of political-diplomatic settlement is not exhausted and we believe that international inspectors should continue their activities," the high-ranking diplomat said.

However, "we are ready to consider and analyse the additional information the US Secretary of State is to submit to the UN Security Council," Yakovenko stressed. The official spokesman for the Russian Foreign Ministry confirmed that the Russian side was guided by the principles of the international law and prerogatives of the UN Security Council in the settlement of the situation around Iraq.

Moscow supports the statement that the fight against terrorism, proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and other global security challenges needs the resolute joining of the world community's efforts, the official spokesman for the Russian Foreign Ministry noted. "Russia and the USA are partners in this fight," Yakovenko stressed. "Sometimes we have different appraisals of real sources of threats, but consider close Russian-US cooperation an imperative in the solution of common security and stability problems," the diplomat concluded.