Республика Ирак
ON INTERNATIONAL ATOMIC ENERGY AGENCY DIRECTOR GENERAL MOHAMED ELBARADEI'S VISIT TO MOSCOW
Unofficial translation from Russian
PRESS RELEASE
Mohamed ElBaradei, IAEA Director General, stayed on a working visit to Moscow on January 14-16. During the visit he had a conversation with Minister of Foreign Affairs Igor Ivanov and consultations with Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Yuri Fedotov on specific aspects of nuclear nonproliferation on the Korean Peninsula and on the Agency's inspection activities in Iraq. The problems of further Russia-IAEA cooperation were substantively discussed in a conversation between ElBaradei and Minister of Atomic Energy Alexander Rumyantsev.
The sides expressed concern over the possibility of the DPRK's decision to leave the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty (NPT) seriously exacerbating the already tense situation around the Korean Peninsula and inflicting harm upon international legal instruments of ensuring regional and global security. They spoke for the employment of the whole arsenal of diplomatic means for a peaceful resolution of the crisis over the DPRK's nuclear program and for developing an equal and mutually beneficial dialogue between all the concerned parties, above all the DPRK and the United States. The IAEA Director General acknowledged as worthy of attention Russia's initiative for a "package solution" to the DPRK nuclear problem.
After stating the progress in the implementation of the IAEA mandate for Iraq, the sides underscored the importance of resolving the Iraq issue by politico-legal means, based on the implementation of relevant United Nations Security Council resolutions. In this context they noted the necessity of continuing international inspections with their subsequent transfer to the timetable of UNSCR 1284. Russia and the IAEA stressed the importance of continued and increased cooperation on the part of Baghdad in clarifying further the situation with the disarmament dossiers of Iraq.
January 16, 2003