MOSCOW. Feb 5 (Interfax-AVN) - Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov believes that "any talks about declaring war on Iraq would be premature."
Ivanov expressed this idea in an interview with the Channel One television station following a UN Security Council session at which U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell presented a report about Iraq's possible weapons of mass destruction.
Ivanov said that "the heads of the UNMOVIC (the UN Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission) and the IAEA (the International Atomic Energy Agency) should leave for Iraq within the next few days and continue their work there to present their conclusions" on whether Iraq has weapons of mass destruction or not "at a UN Security Council session on February 14."
"It is important for Iraq to offer its full cooperation during this period and, thus, open up opportunities for a political settlement," the foreign minister stressed.
He noted that "opportunities for (a peaceful settlement) exist and have not been closed."
Commenting on Powell's report, Ivanov noted that "it included numerous specific data that would require serious consideration by experts, including from Russia."
The foreign minister said that "international inspectors should first and foremost verify this information on the ground and then submit their conclusions to the UN Security Council."
Ivanov believes that "the UN Security Council's discussions have shown that the organization is determined to ensure the implementation of all its resolutions on Iraq and to make it absolutely clear whether Iraq has weapons of mass destruction or not." "In order to achieve this goal, the international inspectors should continue their work and Iraq should offer active cooperation," Ivanov said.
The foreign minister stressed that "Iraq should be first and foremost interested in bringing more clarity to the issue, thus paving the way for a political settlement and the lifting of sanctions."
Ivanov said that "most of those who took part in the UN Security Council's session spoke in favor of finding a political solution."