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Russia: only Security Council can end Iraqi weapons dispute

PLA Daily 2003-12-31

MOSCOW, Dec. 30 (Xinhuanet) -- The Russian government said in a statement that only the Security Council can put an end to the Iraqi weapons dispute, local media reported Tuesday.

Quoting the statement issued by the Russian Foreign Ministry's press department Monday, the Interfax news agency said the question concerning whether Iraq possessed weapons of mass destruction can only be resolved when the Security Council made its decision based on the reports of two UN watchdog agencies.

The UN agencies in charge of Iraqi weapons inspections are the Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission (UNMOVIC) and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

According to the statement, the coalition forces led by the United States excluded UNMOVIC and the IAEA from their search of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. The Russian government doubted the validity of such an act, saying that even if those weapons allegedly possessed by Iraq were found by the coalition, international inspectors should be brought in for verification.

The statement stressed that the results from the US search should be reported to the Security Council, in line with the Council's resolution 1483. According to the resolution, UNMOVIC and the IAEA will have to report to the United Nations before the Iraqi weapons problem is settled.