Moscow, Apr 17: Responding to America's call for lifting economic embargo on Iraq following occupation by the US-led forces, Russia today said regime change is no ground for withdrawing sanctions. "A decision to lift sanctions against Baghdad can only be made by the UN Security Council based on a conclusion made by the UN Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission (UNMOVIC) confirming the absence of banned weapons in Iraq," Interfax quoted an unnamed foreign ministry official as saying.
US President George W Bush said he would soon propose a resolution to lift the economic embargo on Iraq following the fall of the Saddam Hussein regime.
"The regime change in Baghdad is not a condition for lifting economic sanctions from Iraq stipulated in the UNSC resolutions, clearly stating that a condition for taking this step is Iraq's disarmament, which is to be registered by international inspectors," the official told the agency.
"Russia wants UN inspectors to return to Iraq to complete their work and determine whether Iraq has weapons of mass destruction or not," he said.
"Lifting sanctions from Iraq in any other way will be seen as violation of the UN Security Council resolutions and will affect the unity and authority of the Security Council," the foreign ministry official said.
Meanwhile, chairman of the Duma foreign affairs committee Dmitry Rogozin underscored the need to transfer the Iraq dispensation first to the UN and then only lift the sanctions.
"Under the given situation lifting of sanctions without UN central role would only serve the US economic goals," Rogozin said. Bureau Report