The commonness of Russian and US strategic interests is above their tactical disagreements

The unanimous adoption of Resolution 1483 on Iraq by the UN Security Council ushers in a new stage in the development of the situation not only in that country, but on the international arena as a whole.

The very fact that such a resolution has been adopted means that the Iraq issue is back in the legal field of the UN. That removes the main cause of the split at the Security Council. By embarking on the path of restoring the unity among the Council members the drafters of the resolution -- the USA, Great Britain and Spain -- have undoubtedly displayed a sense of responsibility before the people of Iraq and the entire international community.

A reciprocal demonstration of a constructive approach by the states that had opposed the military action in Iraq was not long in coming. In spite of the great difficulties in hammering out mutually acceptable language, they managed to achieve accord on the fundamental provisions of Resolution 1483.

Moreover, by supporting that resolution they have come to share the responsibility for the post-war fate of Iraq. From now on the concept of a "coalition" with respect to the countries taking part in the process of post-conflict reconstruction of Iraq loses much of its meaning. Assistance to the people of Iraq is becoming the concern of the whole international community.

That is particularly important if one bears in mind the complexity and scale of the reconstruction tasks in Iraq.

The situation in that country remains extremely complex and unpredictable. Urgent agreed actions of the international community aimed at stabilizing the situation and resolving acute political, economic, humanitarian and other problems are needed.

It is a matter of fundamental importance that the UN Security Council resolution provides a clear-cut political and legal framework for these actions.

Thus, it confirms the respect of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Iraq, the right of its people to independently determine its political future and control the country's natural resources.

The UN, in the person of the Secretary General's special representative, is vested with a weighty and independent role in the post-conflict settlement. The functions of the special representative cover not only humanitarian aid and economic reconstruction of Iraq, but also the political aspects of the post-war disposition in the country, including the formation of its new legitimate government.

The resolution ensures the necessary continuity on disarmament issues, points to the importance of "final confirmation of the disarmament of Iraq", and refers to the role of the international bodies -- UNMOVIC and IAEA.

It envisages international monitoring, with the participation of the UN, of disbursements from the Iraq Development Fund and the export of Iraqi oil.

There is no doubt that by consistently adhering to these principles the world community will be able to help the people of Iraq to determine its future as quickly as possible.

The restoration of unity in the UN Security Council has also broad international significance. The situation around Iraq which for a long time was the cause of a split in the world community can now play the role of a unifying factor in addressing this and other complicated international problems.

During the time of the Iraqi crisis such challenges as international terrorism, proliferation of mass destruction weapons, organized crime, etc., far from becoming less topical, have taken on added relevance. This is evidenced by the new wave of terrorist acts committed in Saudi Arabia, Chechnya and Morocco, as well as the growing scale of the narco threat coming from the territory of Afghanistan. Obviously, these problems call for a comprehensive solution, i.e. the use not only of military, but also of political-diplomatic, social-economic and other measures.

All this underscores the need for the world community to pool its efforts in the face of global threats and challenges. Russia is prepared to work jointly in the framework of the UN, the G-8 and other multilateral cooperation structures to find the most effective response to these global challenges.

Even at the height of the Iraq crisis our country acted proceeding from the conviction that the commonness of strategic interests of Russia and the US outweighs their tactical differences regarding the mode of settling the Iraq problem. Now that these differences are becoming history, it can be safely said that the Russian-American relations have withstood another serious test.

There is every ground for saying today that the forthcoming meetings between President Putin and President Bush in St. Petersburg and Evian will enable our countries to achieve a new level of partnership in the interests of regional and global security.