ĦĦĦĦBAGHDAD, July 25 (Xinhuanet) -- Visiting Russian deputy foreign minister
voiced his country's long-term stand of opposing economic sanctions on Iraq in
his meetings with senior Iraqi officials on Thursday, the Iraqi News Agency
reported.
ĦĦĦĦIn the meeting with Iraqi Vice President Taha Yassin Ramadan, Alexander
Sultanov said the attitudes of the Russian government are "fixed" and will not
be changed, especially concerning the "lifting of the embargo and ending the
sanctions," referring to the punishment imposed by the United Nations on Iraq
for its invasion of neighboring Kuwait in 1990.
ĦĦĦĦ"The Russian government works to promote its relations with Iraqand develop
bilateral cooperation in a way that would serve the interests of both
countries," Sultanov was quoted as saying.
ĦĦĦĦIraq has traditionally been close to Russia, one of the five permanent
members of the UN Security Council, and hopes that Russiawould use its clout to
help end the decade-long sanctions.
ĦĦĦĦ"The relations of friendship between Iraq and Russia are historical and
strategical, and based on the principled attitude ofIraqi leadership," Ramadan
was quoted as saying.
ĦĦĦĦIn a separate meeting, Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister Tareq Aziz stressed the
steadfast stand of the Iraqi people and leadership against the political agenda
of the US administration, calling for "political resistance with all available
ways" to counter the US policy, INA said.
ĦĦĦĦUS President George W. Bush has branded Iraq as part of an "axisof evil"
and vowed to topple Iraqi President Saddam Hussein with all the tools at his
disposal, a policy opposed by Russia.
ĦĦĦĦOn July 16, Russian President Vladimir Putin stressed that the Iraq issue
should be settled through political and diplomatic ways.
ĦĦĦĦ"Russia is willing to continue its active work to reach a comprehensive
settlement of the Iraq issue through political and diplomatic ways only," Putin
said in a telegram of congratulations to Iraqi President Saddam Hussein on the
34th anniversary of the July 17-30 revolution, which brought the ruling Arab
Baath Socialist Party to power in Iraq. Enditem
ĦĦĦĦ
ĦĦ
ĦĦ