Mr Lavrov voiced the Russian government's concern over the escalation of violence in Iraq, which makes the process of political settlement all the more difficult. This is why officials in Moscow believe that the U.S.-led Coalition in Iraq should engage all of the country's political sources, including the Opposition, in the process of forming provisional authorities, the Russian minister said. This will make the conflict settlement legitimate, in the eyes of both the Iraqi people and the global community, he explained, adding that the process must be open and transparent.
Russia strongly objects to Iraq's Islamic shrines being desecrated or destroyed by Coalition forces, Mr Lavrov stressed. A few years ago, the Russians proposed that the United Nations adopt a resolution to the effect, he reminded the media.
The Russian government's stance on the issue is a consistent and principled one, Mr Lavrov emphasized. Russia protested when the Taliban were destroying a statue of Buddha in Afghanistan and when Kosovar Albanians targeted Christian shrines of the Serb community in Kosovo, he said.
