PRESS RELEASE

On Outcome of Talks Between Presidents Vladimir Putin of Russia and Jacques Chirac of France

RUSSIAN MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS

February 10, 2003

Russia and France insist on the necessity for a politico-diplomatic resolution of the Iraq crisis, Russian President Vladimir Putin declared at the conclusion of his talks with French President Jacques Chirac. Russia and France hold a "well-considered and moral position," aimed at establishing whether there are weapons of mass destruction in Iraq but so as not to inflict harm upon the population and not to violate international law.

Military solutions with regard to that country may lead to an unpredictable escalation of tensions. The ground for moves against Iraq should be the decisions of the United Nations Security Council. In the context of Security Council resolution 1441 the use of a variety of means is possible. Russia is ready to provide aircraft for the conduct of inspections, President Putin announced.

The Head of State called for not dramatizing the fact that European countries show different approaches towards the Iraq problem. Furthermore, he said, the position of Russia and France is shared by an overwhelming majority of the members of the UN Security Council.

The situation around Iraq is one of the "most sensitive" issues, on which the Heads of State dwelt during their talk at the Elysee Palace. Russia and France as partners in the antiterrorist coalition work together to strengthen the nonproliferation regimes for weapons of mass destruction. The sides favored a global approach to nonproliferation problems and expressed the conviction that there should be no manifestations of tolerance towards those who fail to honor their obligations regarding strict observance of the norms concerning WMD prevention.

Russia and France pool their efforts in countering the narco-threat and other kinds of organized crime.

Russia and France intend to work on strengthening the economic infrastructure of the European continent.

In the context of President Putin's visit to France there were signed: a Russian-French Statement on Strategic Issues; a Russian-French Statement on Energy Cooperation; an Agreement Between the Government of the Russian Federation and the Government of the French Republic on Cooperation in the Fight Against Crime and in the Area of Internal Security; a Convention Between the Russian Federation and the French Republic on the Transfer of Convicts; and an Agreement between the Committee on Financial Monitoring of the Russian Federation and France's financial intelligence unit Trackfin on cooperation in suppressing the legalization (laundering) of the proceeds from crime.

Presidents Putin and Chirac noted the atmosphere of trust which had prevailed at the talks. Moscow and Paris are disposed to develop cooperation based on the traditions of the centuries-old Russian-French ties.