MOSCOW, June 13 (RIA Novosti) - Security Council Secretary of the Russian Federation goes on a working visit to Washington this Monday on the invitation of US national security adviser Steven Hadley to discuss the Middle East and Iraq issues, the nuclear programs of Iran and North Korea and the UN Security Council reformation.
The office of the Russian Security Council said that Igor Ivanov was expected to hold talks at the US National Security Council and with representatives of the Bush administration.
During his visit scheduled to last until June 15, the Secretary of the Russian Security Council will also meet with US congressmen and speak before leading US political scientists.
Igor Ivanov and Steven Hadley met a month ago in the capital of Russia when US President George Bush came to Moscow to participate in the celebration of the 60th anniversary of the Victory in the Great Patriotic War.
After the Russia-US summit, Steven Hadley said that both sides had many common interests and areas where they must work together to achieve shared goals and promote common values.
According to Hadley, during his Moscow talks, George Bush confirmed the importance of the six-party talks on North Korean problems and the importance for North Korea to return to the negotiating table to discuss its refusal to develop nuclear weapons. Hadley added, however, that the North Korea issue would have to be submitted to the UN Security Council at a certain moment of time, if no progress was made.
During his visit Ivanov intends to discuss the enlarged composition of the UN Security Council permanent membership. Russia supports the candidature of Germany. However, official Washington holds the position that the sole country, which it wants to be admitted to the UN Security Council, is Japan. Therefore, both sides - the USA and Russia - should carry out some work to elaborate their approaches to the reformation of the UN Security Council because this was a very important issue, Hadley said.
During Ivanov's visit to Washington, the parties are also expected to discuss the situation in some former Soviet republics, in particular, in Uzbekistan. Washington insists on an international investigation into the May 13 events in Andizhan. However, Russia says that Uzbekistan is a sovereign state and, therefore, the country's prosecutor's office and incumbent authorities must investigate the latest developments.
