Russia for Enhancing UN Role

Russia is for bolstering up the role of the United Nations as the central instrument for settling international relations, Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov has said on Wednesday. "This meets the interests of international stability and every state," he said on results of his talks with Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini. "It is now very important for us all to work actively together in favour of forming under the United Nations' aegis an international system based on the principles and norms of international law." At today's negotiations the two foreign ministers also discussed the situation in the Middle East and Afghanistan, said Igor Ivanov. Within the framework of preparations for the G8 summit meeting in Evian, matters of global partnership against proliferation of weapons and materials of mass destruction were in discussion, said Igor Ivanov.

The United Nations "has not yet fulfilled its tasks" in Iraq, opined Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini on Wednesday on results of his negotiations in Rome with Igor Ivanov.

At the present time, the United Nations "is only beginning to perform its role in the development of plans for further settlement in Iraq," the Italian foreign minister noted.

According to Franco Frattini, the United Nations could assume concrete goals in the settlement and solution of humanitarian problems. He stressed that "no tough schedules should be present" in the handling of these problems because this may stall the carrying out of humanitarian operations in Iraq.