UN Secretary General will discuss in Moscow the prospects of Iraqi issue solution

The process of the dialogue between Iraq and the United States Secretary General and prospects of the solution of the Iraqi problem will be important themes at the negotiations of Kofi Annan in Moscow. As was pointed out at the news conference in RIA Novosti by director of the department for international organisations of the Russian Foreign Ministry Yury Fedotov, there were already two rounds of negotiations within the framework of the dialogue between Baghdad and the Secretary General of the United Nation; the third round has been scheduled for the end of July in Vienna.

"Russia can only hail that after the actually cul-de-sac situation, when the sides did not want to conduct serious negotiations, the situation has gone out of the blind alley," pointed out Yury Fedotov. In particular, he reminded the audience, a new humanitarian programme for Iraq was adopted, and a dialogue for the resumption of the disarmament monitoring is going on - a very important condition for stopping and, ultimately, removing sanctions from Baghdad.

The Russian diplomat said that the dialogue of Iraq with the Secretary General of the United Nations "is becoming more and more precise." Specialists, including Hans Blix, chairman of the UN Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission for Iraq, are taking part in the dialogue on the side of the United Nations. The sides are discussing "concrete issues concerning the resumption of international inspections in Iraq." As was underscored by Yury Fedotov, Russia contributes to the continuation of this positive development of the situation and the adoption by the sides of a "package approach" which is called upon "to resolve the Iraqi problem once and for all." This approach should "ensure the fulfilment of the appropriate resolutions of the United Nations Security Council, including those in the sphere of disarmament and, at the same time, to outline perspectives for removing the sanctions from Iraq," underscored the diplomat.