On Outcome of Talks Held in Baghdad by UNMOVIC Executive Chairman Hans Blix and IAEA Director General Mohamed ElBaradei

RUSSIAN MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS

February 10, 2003

UNMOVIC Executive Chairman Hans Blix and IAEA Director General Mohamed ElBaradei stayed in Baghdad on February 8-9, where they held talks on the issues of activity in Iraq by international inspector groups.

At the end of their meetings in Baghdad, Blix and ElBaradei issued a statement noting the "good progress" made in negotiations with the Iraqis and stressed that the continuation of the work in Iraq of inspector groups can become an alternative to military action.

Blix and ElBaradei indicated that the Iraqi side had provided the international inspectors with some additional information on a number of aspects relating to Iraqi biological, chemical and missile weapons. Certain proposals were handed over to UNMOVIC and IAEA from Baghdad concerning the methods of verifying the facts of the Iraqis' elimination of their weapons of mass destruction.

Moscow hopes that the generally positive results of the talks held by Hans Blix and Mohamed ElBaradei in Baghdad permit holding in a constructive spirit the discussion of the Iraq question in the United Nations Security Council meeting scheduled for February 14. The Russian side proceeds from the necessity of continuing the activity of international inspector groups on Iraqi territory in accordance with the mandate given to them by the Security Council.