Margelov says crucial moment for Iraq has come

Mikhail Margelov, the chairman of the Federation Council (upper house of Russian parliament) international affairs committee, said that a crucial moment had come in the situation in Iraq.

"And no one understands this better than the terrorist organizations operating in the republic," Mr. Margelov said commenting on the latest bombings in Iraq.

"For them [terrorists] stabilization in Iraq is an ideological crisis and defeat," he said, "and therefore, the intensification of their activity is, first of all, evidence of correctness of the way chosen by the international community in Iraq.

"The ground work for transferring power to the new Iraqi government on June 30 has already been laid, the resolution on the Iraq issue was successfully passed in the United Nations and the positions of most countries on the Iraq issue are gradually beginning to come closer together, though not without problems.

"All this is welcomed by a majority of Iraq's population as moves to establish peace in the republic substantially weakens the base for extremism in the region.

"The process of shaping Iraq as an independent state, and the rehabilitation of the country from the postwar devastation have been mounting, which inspires optimism in forecasting the future of the republic."