Igor Ivanov: Russia Should Not Go to Open Confrontation with U.S. over Iraq War

Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov believes that Russia should not go to an open confrontation with the United States because of the unsanctioned start of a military operation in Iraq.

Asked by the State Duma deputies on Friday, he stressed that such a confrontation "will not produce good results to anybody, including Russia." Only the United Nations Security Council can determine such actions of the United States and Britain as an act of aggression, he noted.

"As an individual, I can give personal assessments. The United Nations Security Council should come up with a determination which is not just an emotional outburst but will have international effects," stressed the foreign minister.

Only a decision from the United Nations Security Council determining actions as aggression can entail legal consequences with regard to a state declared aggressor, he said.