Parliament may pass a statement on Iraq

The State Duma is to discuss on Wednesday the situation in Iraq following the killing of one and kidnapping of two other Russian citizens in Iraq.

Konstantin Kosachev, head of the Duma's international affairs committee, said on the previous day that the committee would table the document for the agenda of a plenary meeting.

According to him, the deputies will propose "reminding the occupying powers of their responsibility in Iraq for security and law and order in that country in keeping with generally accepted standards of international law".

Kosachev pointed out that the statement will also urge the occupying powers and local government in Iraq to take every measure to have the Russian citizens released and investigate the circumstances of the Russian citizen's death in order to "bring those guilty to justice".

Kosachev emphasised that the parliament has no complaints to Russia's bodies of state authority. "It is obvious that Russian citizens work in Iraq at their own free will, and all of them submitted to the Russian embassy in Baghdad documents confirming they are aware of the risks involved and waive evacuation to Russia," Kosachev added.

The head of the committee also noted that the Russian side "cannot have grounds for self-complacency" and Russian authorities should work hand in hand with the US and British occupying authorities and provisional governing bodies of Iraq "to guarantee the safety of Russian citizens in Iraq".