Russian Foreign Affairs News In Brief

Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs Igor Ivanov Speaks to US Secretary of State Colin Powell by Telephone

A telephone conversation took place on May 7 between Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs Igor Ivanov and US Secretary of State Colin Powell. The sides discussed the developments in the situation in Iraq, and the prospects for Russian-American cooperation on this problem in the United Nations Security Council. Ivanov and Powell agreed to discuss Iraqi problems in greater detail, as well as other pressing international issues in the course of the upcoming working visit of the US Secretary of State to Moscow.

Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs Igor Ivanov Speaks by Telephone to Ministers of Foreign Affairs Dominique de Villepin of France and Joschka Fischer of the FRG

Telephone conversations took place on May 7 between Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation Igor Ivanov and his French and German counterparts, Dominique de Villepin and Joschka Fischer Topical issues in resolving the situation around Iraq, including multilateral efforts within the United Nations Security Council, were discussed.

Alexander Yakovenko, the Official Spokesman of Russia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Answers a Russian Media Question Regarding Report of Discovery in Iraq of a Laboratory for the Production of Bacteriological Substances

Question: How can you comment on the report that American servicemen have discovered a mobile laboratory in Iraq which allegedly could have been used for the production of bacteriological substances?

Answer: We have taken note of this information. Judging by the reports, there is no final clarity in this matter. In any case, the American specialists so far have not succeeded in discovering in the found trailer any traces of bacteriological weapons. Evidently, additional investigations will be required. But under all the circumstances it is only international inspectors from UNMOVIC, the mandate of which includes the "biological dossier" of Iraq, who can deliver a final verdict certifying the involvement of this find in the production of weapons of mass destruction.

Russian Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Andrei Denisov Meets with New Zealand Ambassador to Moscow Stuart Prior

On May 7 Russian Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Andrei Denisov received New Zealand Ambassador to Moscow Stuart Prior at his request.

During the talk, certain questions relating to the development of bilateral economic ties were discussed.

The New Zealand side was informed about the evolution of the integration processes in the CIS space, the course of the negotiations on Russia's entry into the WTO, its cooperation with other international organizations and work within the G8 framework.

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