IRAQI FOREIGN MINISTER REAFFIRMS HIS GOVERNMENT'S COMMITMENT TO CONTRACTS WITH RUSSIAN COMPANIES

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MOSCOW, July 24 (RIA Novosti) - The Iraqi government remains committed to all contracts concluded with Russian companies, the visiting Foreign Minister of Iraq, Hoshiyar Zebari, told a Moscow press conference Saturday.

As they met earlier today, Mr. Zebari and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov agreed that they would appoint specific officials to deal with the resumption of Russo-Iraqi contracts, including under the Oil for Food Program.

Mr. Zebari said he had not raised the issue of Russia's contribution to the peacekeeping effort in Iraq. "We know the Russian Federation's stance on the issue only too well. We reaffirmed there were many other ways in which Russia could be helpful to Iraq," he said.

"In the near future, Iraq will approach [Russia] with the request to appoint a new ambassador so that diplomatic relations between the two countries could be restored in full," said the Iraqi Foreign Minister.

"The new Iraq would like to establish balanced relations with all countries, primarily with Russia, which is an influential power, a member of the UN Security Council, and which plays an important role in international issues," Mr. Zebari pointed out. He said that Mr. Lavrov and he had agreed to stay in contact. "We reaffirmed that the situation in Iraq was not at a standstill. It advances, although slowly," the Iraqi minister said.

Mr. Lavrov, for his part, reported that he and his Iraqi counterpart had discussed progress in the political process to shape national government structures and the role that the global community was to play in this process. The two ministers also considered prospects for the development of bilateral relations, including the possibility of creating a bilateral mechanism for addressing issues of economic and trade cooperation.

The Iraqi minister told the media that officials in Baghdad were absolutely convinced of the need to hold an international conference on Iraq. In his opinion, such a forumcould help restore security and stability to the country and reconstruct its economy in cooperation with other countries.

Mr. Lavrov, for his part, highlighted the growing interest of the global community in holding such a conference. As he sees it, it should bring together Iraqi government officials, representatives of neighboring countries, and members of influential international organizations, including the Arab League, the Organization of the Islamic Conference, the European Union, and the United Nations.

The Russian government believes that the mechanism of an international conference could be instrumental in sustaining the political process in Iraq and in establishing good-neighborly relations with other countries in the region. "Russia supports the interim Iraqi government's efforts to promote the political process all the way through a national election so that the country could achieve true independence and sovereignty," Mr. Lavrov said.

Speaking of the presence of international peacekeepers in Iraq, Mr. Zebari said it was up to the Iraqi government to decide whether they should stay or go. He said there was a big difference between the U.S.-led Coalition forces and the multinational peacekeeping forces in Iraq. "The presence of international forces is in line with the interim Iraqi government's permission and desire, and it reflects Iraq's needs," the minister pointed out.

The international resolution on the deployment of multinational forces in Iraq grants them legal status and tasks them with maintaining security and stability in the country, Zebari said. In his view, there are realistic chances for the military groupings opposing the multinational forces into a political opposition.

There is no looming prospect of a national revolution or a national liberation movement, as these groupings are isolated, lack coordination between one another, and have no popular backing, Mr. Zebari said. On the other hand, chances are they will evolve into a political opposition with time, he added.

According to the Iraqi minister, resistance in Iraq now comes from three main sources, including Saddam loyalists, Islamic terrorists, and criminals granted amnesty under the old regime.

Iraq is calling on foreign states to stop supporting terrorists involved with human kidnappings, Mr. Zebari said. "I would like to urge all countries involved to stop all kind of aid for such actions as these may provoke horrible phenomena in the future," he warned as he commented on some specific cases of hostage taking in Iraq.

"We vehemently denounce all such phenomena as we believe them to be terrorist methods revealing the weakness of their organizers, who have to resort to the abduction of foreign nationals, including diplomats," the Iraqi minister said emphatically. He believes that most of the kidnappings in Iraq have political motives behind them. But the Iraqi people won't let themselves be left to terrorists' mercy, he pointed out in conclusion.

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