Moscow presses for political and diplomatic settlement of Iraqi crisis

Moscow comes out in favor of resorting to political and diplomatic methods to settle the Iraqi crisis. "We are actively pursuing this goal in the UN Security Council," Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov said speaking at a press-conference held on Thursday in Moscow following the negotiations with the three European Union leaders.

The Russian minister stressed that the military solution to the Iraqi problem "would have an adverse impact on the region." "I hope that our joint efforts will allow us to follow the line of political adjustment of the conflict," Igor Ivanov said.

He also stressed that Russia advocated the establishment of a demilitarized zone in the Middle East, free of any weapons of mass destruction. "It will be a reliable guarantee of stability" in the region, the Russian Foreign Minister believes.