Iraq will have to pay its debt to Russia in full

Russia will not write off Iraqi bad debt, said the Minister of Defense Sergey Ivanov.

 “Iraq owes Russia US$8bln. And no one wrote off Russian debts after USSR breakup” He also pointed out that the Paris club still exists too.

“In general, Russia has great economical interests in Iraq”, the minister underlined. He also said it is not correct to compare Iraq to Afghanistan.

Ivanov promised to contact Donald Rumsfeld to find out whether it is true that countries who did not participate in the war will be barred from bidding for contracts on Iraq restoration.