Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD)

DATE=04/04/03

TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT

NUMBER=2-301756

TITLE=IRAQ/RUSSIA/CHINA (L-Only)

BYLINE=JIM RANDLE

DATELINE=BEIJING

CONTENT=

VOICED AT:

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INTRO: A top Russian diplomat says the United Nations should guide the post-war reconstruction of Iraq. V-O-A's Jim Randle reports from Beijing, where Russia's deputy foreign minister met with Chinese officials.

TEXT: Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Yuri Fedotov says Moscow and Beijing will work together to protect their economic interests in Iraq.

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He says the style and standards for post-war reconstruction should not be decided by the United States, but by the United Nations.

Russia is keenly interested in Iraqi reconstruction, because Russian companies have about one-billion dollars invested in Iraqi oil concerns. In addition, Iraq owes Moscow billions of dollars in Soviet-era debt.

The Russian envoy said Moscow and Beijing have very similar views on the Iraq issue. He repeated the Russian and Chinese plea to stop the war and seek a political settlement in a United Nations framework.

After two days of talks in Beijing with China's foreign minister and other top officials, Mr. Fedotov told journalists that it is "too early" to discuss post-war plans in detail.

The two sides also discussed the dispute over North Korea's nuclear ambitions, with both China and Russia repeating their pleas for a peaceful settlement of the issue. (Signed)

NEB/HK/JR/MH/TW/FC