Igor Ivanov: U.N. Reform is Quite Possible

It is possible to reform the United Nations, but only once there is "a general understanding of the goals and tasks of this organization," believes Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov.

Only in this case will the reform of the UN and the Security Council strengthen and not weaken the role it plays in world affairs, said the minister, addressing a Monday seminar called Russia in Global Politics.

"No one needs reforms for the sake of reforms," he said.

In his opinion, recent events explicitly showed the importance of all countries taking joint actions to meet new challenges and threats.

According to Ivanov, interaction between countries in the interests of strengthening international stability must stand against one-sided tendencies and attempts to use force contrary to international law and the will of the United Nations.

Common problems must be solved by means of constructive dialogue, not by means of forcing one's opinion on somebody else, said Ivanov. According to his words, this position of Russia is shared by many countries, who all bend towards international cooperation and want to create a new world order with the leading role of the UN.

"The question is, how do we solve this issue and take into account the interests of all countries of the world," said the minister. In terms of a long-range outlook, the majority of countries stand up against one-sided approaches and want to expand cooperation for the sake of common interests, he added.

"No country is capable of handling threats like terrorism and proliferation of mass destruction weapons on its own," concluded Ivanov, who thinks it is only possible to solve such issues on a global basis.