Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov underscored the utmost importance for international relations to overcome the consequences of the Iraq crisis, which has put the fundamental principles of international law in danger.
The war in Iraq has put the entire system of the United Nations and other international institutions to the test," Ivanov said at a Thursday roundtable conference addressing the role of national organizations in creating Russia's civil society, Interfax news agency reported.
Russia aims at not only settling Iraq's everyday problems, but also at dealing with the crisis's implications for the entire region and international relations in general, the minister stressed.
Ivanov said earlier Thursday that Russia would not support a United States proposal to lift United Nations sanctions on Iraq unless it is confirmed that the country has no weapons of mass destruction.
He pointed out that the international community's success in resolving the Iraqi issue is crucial for its further fight against terrorism, drug-trafficking, as well as "militant nationalism and xenophobia" and other global threats and challenges.
(Xinhua News Agency April 17, 2003)
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