RIA Novosti, Russia
April 5 2004
PUTIN HIGHLY ASSESSES UN INTERNATIONAL ROLE
MOSCOW, April 5, 2004. (RIA Novosti) – Russian President Vladimir
Putin highly assesses the UN’s role in the modern world.
The world has no other effective instrument to solve international
problems, Vladimir Putin told UN Secretary General Kofi Annan on
Monday.
“You know our attitude to the UN and the development of this
organization. The fact that the Russian ambassador to the UN was
appointed Foreign Minister confirms our attitude to the development
of relations with the UN,” the Russian leader said.
The President also thanked Kofi Annan for his congratulation on
Vladimir Putin’s reelection to his post on March 14.
Kofi Annan pointed out the recent easing of tensions in international
relations. The countries are united and are solving international
problems together, the Secretary General said.
He expressed hope that this tendency will preserve in the future
because only joint efforts can help solve complicated problems.
Mr. Annan is satisfied with Moscow’s support for the formation of a
top-level group to combat new threats and challenges. This group
should assess the current situation in the world and find solutions
to adapt to it, he said.
Russian Security Council Secretary Igor Ivanov, Foreign Minister
Sergei Lavrov, President’s Aide Sergei Prikhodko, Deputy Foreign
Minister Yuri Fedotov, UN Under-Secretary-General, director general
of the UN mission in Europe Sergei Ordzhonikidze, Special
Representative of the UN Secretary General in Georgia Heidi
Tagliavini, and the UN Secretary General’s deputy chief of staff,
Elizabeth Lindmeier took part in the meeting between Vladimir Putin
and Kofi Annan.
Kofi Annan arrived in Moscow on Sunday on a three-day official visit.
On Monday Mr. Annan and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov took
part in the opening ceremony of the Moscow International Model UN
conference-2004. This is a student game imitating the activities of
this international organization.
In addition, Kofi Annan met with Russian Prime Minister Mikhail
Fradkov.
Kofi Annan is to discuss with the Russian leadership the
implementation of the Russian initiative on the formation of a global
system to counter modern threats and challenges under the UN aegis,
official spokesman for the Russian Foreign Ministry Alexander
Yakovenko told RIA Novosti.
“At issue will be the structural consolidation and reinforcement of
coordinating possibilities of the Counter Terrorist Committee of the
UN Security Council, its cooperation with international and regional
anti-terrorist structures including relevant mechanisms of the CIS,
the Collective Security Treaty Organization [Armenia, Belarus,
Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia and Tajikistan] and the Shanghai
Cooperation Organization [Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, China,
Tajikistan and Uzbekistan],” Mr. Yakovenko said.
According to him, Russia backs efforts taken by the UN Secretary
General to settle the situation in Iraq.
“The organization is playing the central role in the post-conflict
settlement, in particular, in the elections. Moscow will support the
UN stabilizing role in the Middle East and strive for the
implementation of the UN Mideastern resolutions in the full volume to
provide favorable conditions for peaceful developments,” Alexander
Yakovenko noted.
Russia, as well as the UN Secretary General, is much concerned about
the sharp aggravation of the situation in Kosovo, the diplomat
stressed. “The large-scale outburst of violence provoked by
extremists has shown that Resolution 1244 of the UN Security Council
is not fulfilled in the full volume yet. Attempts to indulge Kosovo
Albanians caused serious risks of the destabilization in the region,”
Mr. Yakovenko noted.