On February 27 Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation Igor Ivanov and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China Tang Jiaxuan held an in-depth exchange of views on the Iraq question and reached a broad mutual understanding.

The Sides expressed serious concern over the tensions around the Iraq question.

The Sides favor a resolution of the Iraqi crisis by political and diplomatic means within the framework of the UN. Resolution 1441, unanimously adopted by the UN Security Council on November 8, 2002, and the other relevant resolutions provide the necessary legal basis for that.

Russia and China presume that inspection activities by UNMOVIC and IAEA play an important role in the matter of resolving the Iraqi question, have achieved definite progress and should proceed further. The UN Security Council should strengthen the guidance and support of inspection work.

The Sides emphasized that Iraq should fully, strictly and undeviatingly comply with the relevant UN Security Council resolutions and may not possess any weapons of mass destruction and their delivery vehicles. Iraq should be fully aware of the importance and urgency of inspections. The Sides called upon Iraq to maximally build on cooperation with UNMOVIC and IAEA and to cooperate more broadly, actively and qualitatively with the inspectors, thus creating the necessary conditions for a political resolution of the Iraqi question.

The Sides reiterate their firm resolve to continue to help a political resolution of the Iraq question in every possible way, and presume that a war can and should be avoided. The international community is everywhere demanding that all the measures should be taken for the maximum prevention of military actions. These aspirations should be respected.

The Sides emphasized that the Security Council bears the main responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security and should, guided by the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations, continue to play a central role in resolving the Iraqi problem. All member states of the UN must respect and protect the authority and powers of the UN Security Council.

The Sides are determined to continue to maintain their close contacts and cooperation for the stimulation of a political resolution of the Iraqi question on the basis of the principles of the United Nations Charter.