October 20, 2002	Sunday	Sha'aban 13, 1423

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MOSCOW, Oct 19: Russia remains committed to a peaceful resolution of the crisis with Iraq, Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov told US Secretary of State Colin Powell during a telephone conversation, the Russian foreign ministry said on Saturday.

The two men on Friday discussed the text of a draft United Nations resolution on Iraq, currently the subject of heated talks at the world body’s headquarters in New York, the ministry said in a statement.

During the conversation, Ivanov reaffirmed “Russia’s position of principle in favour of a peaceful and diplomatic settlement to the Iraqi question,” the statement said.

The Russian foreign minister had told a news conference earlier on Friday that the UN Security Council could take measures against Iraq “including the use of force” if arms inspectors found it was hindering its efforts to disarm it.

However, he had stressed that the sole objective of a new UN resolution on Iraq should be to ensure the rapid return of weapons inspectors to Baghdad and their ability to work effectively.—AFP