Transcript of Russian Permanent Representative at the UN Sergei Lavrov Interview on RTR Television Channel's Vremya Program

RUSSIAN MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS

November 14, 2002

Question: How did the United Nations Security Council discussion of the resolution on Iraq proceed? And how did it prove possible to convince Council members of the necessity of just this solution of the problem?

Sergei Lavrov: The agreeing of UN Security Council Resolution 1441 proceeded in the not simple conditions because initially the draft submitted by the United States and Britain contained an unacceptable demand to give at once the green light for the use of force. Russia could not agree with this, and President Vladimir Putin had clearly stated that. Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs Igor Ivanov had repeatedly discussed this subject with his counterparts. Neither Russia nor France nor the PRC, nor a whole array of UN Security Council members could accept such an automatic authorization for the use of force. A second crucial moment for us: that the resolution - and we had first been saying that from the legal point of view it was possible to dispense with a resolution and send inspectors on the basis of the existing decisions of the UN Security Council - aside from the absence of any automatic authorization for the use of force should include no new unimplementable demands on Baghdad either. There were such demands: in particular, that the inspectors be accompanied by special security forces, that any member country of the UN Security Council could dictate its terms on which the inspections would be carried out and could assign to the inspectors national representatives, this being contrary to the status of international officials which the UN inspectors are. As a result of the firm stand, primarily of Russia, France and the PRC, with the support of other UNSC members it has been possible to remove these unacceptable provisions from the text. The draft resolution adopted unanimously clearly states that it is the Security Council which will decide how to act in the case of a failure in the inspections. It is the inspectors, and no one else, who will assess whether there has been a violation which deserves to be reported to the UN Security Council or a technical hitch has arisen in the course of the inspections which can as well be dealt with on the spot.

Question: What influenced the adoption of the new text of the draft resolution of the UN Security Council on Iraq?

Sergei Lavrov: This resolution was unique in how involved heads of state and foreign ministers were in the concrete agreeing of its key provisions. It was after the contacts held the day before at the highest level between Moscow, Washington, Paris and London that the co-authors made the last amendments which enabled Russia, France, the PRC and all the others, including Syria, which represents Arab states in the UN Security Council, to support the resolution. These amendments concerned, for the most part, two moments. The first: to remove any ambiguity as to who will determine whether Iraq has violated its obligations or not. In the previous text of the draft resolution there remained the possibility of an interpretation according to which any country could determine that. The changes made to this part of the text after the highest-level contacts have unambiguously transferred the language of the resolution onto the plane of the necessity for the inspectors themselves to decide whether a violation is serious enough to be reported. In addition, the amendments made have unambiguously confirmed the legal interpretation that it is the UN Security Council which will consider the prevailing situation in the case of reports from the inspectors. The second change which was made on the vote's eve describes with what aim the UN Security Council will consider such possible violations. In the original text it was written that with the aim of "restoring peace and security in the region." If peace is to be restored, then there must be a breach of it, and we do not know if this will happen. Thus far we see no threat that would emanate from Iraq for the region. Therefore this part of the text as a result of the talks at the highest level and at foreign ministers' level was transferred onto the plane of ensuring peace in the region, which reflects the process which is continuing at present. This enabled us to support the resolution of the UN Security Council.

Question: What are your forecasts regarding the inspectors' work in Iraq?

Sergei Lavrov: The inspectors, I hope, have drawn the right conclusion from the sad experience of the previous special commission which concerned itself with matters unusual for it, and was used for the solution of tasks which had nothing in common with the necessity of liquidating Iraqi weapons of mass destruction. Rude, arrogant methods were being used that ignored the sovereignty and dignity of Iraq and of the Iraqi people. The inspectors who are now being sent to Iraq are a team selected on a truly international basis, on the basis of the principles confirmed in the Charter of the United Nations for international officials - impartiality, professionalism, the necessity to form such teams on a broad geographical basis so that one or two countries would not dominate. As we were assured by the leaders of the UN commission which will deal with the missile and chemical dossier and of IAEA, they undertake to work professionally, correctly and impartially. We have every reason to believe that's how the inspectors will act. It is very important that the leadership of Iraq sent yesterday a letter that it was accepting UN Security Council Resolution 1441. We regard this as a positive step. Inspectors are leaving for Baghdad next week already. Work on technical preparations will begin, the premises will be reopened, and checks of the equipment and motor vehicles carried out. Immediately in the next two weeks the direct resumption of inspection activity will commence. We hope that all the parties involved in the settlement process - Iraq, the inspectors, all the UN Security Council members - will do everything to ensure that the implementation of Resolution 1441 goes constructively, without any provocative snags, and with full cooperation on the part of Iraq.