Russia: Iraqi issue to return to UN

Russia intends to use the forthcoming G8 ministers' meeting and summit in Evian to transfer the Iraqi settlement to the UN channels, official spokesman for the Russian Foreign Ministry Alexander Yakovenko said on the wake of the meeting between G8 foreign ministers in Paris scheduled for May 22-23.

Moscow plans to use the ministers' meeting to boost G8 joint influence on regional situations.

According to Yakovenko, the interests of Russia and its G8 partners on this issue coincide.

At G8 meetings the Russian side will also come out for the soonest introduction of the road map of the Palestinian-Israeli settlement with account for the recent approval of new Palestinian government by the Palestinian parliament," said the official spokesman for the Russian Foreign Ministry.

Moscow "wants the ministers' meeting in Paris and G8 summit to boost the fight against international terrorism," Yakovenko said.

"Cooperation in the reinforcement of counter-terrorist potential of the third countries comes to the forefront," the diplomat noted. "Russia boasts great experience and information and technical abilities in this sphere and is ready to take an active part in this work," he stressed. According to Yakovenko, the region of the CIS and the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (Russia, China, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan) is the area of Russia's priority attention for clear reasons.