Moscow does Not Believe US-Russian Relations will Worsen in Connection with the Situation around Iraq

Disagreement on the Iraqi issue must not worsen US-Russian relations, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Georgi Mamedov stated at a briefing on Friday.

"If because of disagreements on Iraq Russia and the USA will not preserve all positive things accumulated in bilateral relations, it will cost them dear," he stressed.

When answering a question on what price Russia can pay for possible using veto in the UN Security Council on the Iraqi issue, Mamedov pointed out that such wording of the question was wrong. "It would imply that good Russian-American relations were due to Washington's concession to Russia," he said.

Both Moscow and Washington believe that good Russian-American relations were the two countries' asset, contribution to both Russian and US security, he said. "This is not a concession, let alone a payment for anything," Mamedov stressed. "I do not think it is possible to speak about a certain price Russia will pay for a possible use of veto," he pointed out.

Georgi Mamedov expressed hope that the parties would be able to preserve their relations despite possible disagreements.