Russia wants draft resolution on Iraq considerably revised
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Yuri Fedotov said that the US-proposed draft resolution on Iraq "should be
considerably revised."
Commenting on the consultations held in the UN Security Council about the resolution, Fedotov stressed that "a number
of questions particularly relating to the mandate of multinational forces and its linkage with political tasks in
Iraq should be cleared out."
The draft resolution "envisions some changes in the international military presence and the UN role in the post-war
restoration of Iraq," Fedotov said, adding that it is necessary, above all, to give a clear idea on when the Iraqi
people will be able to gain sovereignty and form a legitimate government.
He expressed the belief that the date of adopting the resolution will depend on when the serious questions that
Russia and other Security Council members raised are ravelled out.
The high-ranking Russian official confirmed that Russia has not received invitations to participate in the multinational forces in Iraq so far, reiterating that Russia consistently supports a central UN role in the Iraqi post-war restoration.
