China, Russia call for restoration of stability in Iraq
( 2003-05-28 14:25 ) (8)

Chinese President Hu Jintao and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin called on Tuesday for early measures to resume stability in Iraq and to solve the Iraq crisis within the framework of the United Nations.

In a joint declaration issued after their meeting, the two presidents said that the humanitarian issue in Iraq should be the priority concern, and both sides agreed to continue providing aid to the Iraqi people.

They said that the United Nations should play a central role in rebuilding Iraq after the war.

Both leaders expressed their belief that the Iraq issue, one of the most complicated in the world, could be properly solved only within the framework of the United Nations and on the basis of the relevant resolutions of the UN Security Council.

Hu and Putin stressed that Iraq's sovereignty, political independence and territorial integrity should be guaranteed, and that the will and the decision-making power of the Iraqi people, as well as their rights to use Iraq's natural resources, should be respected.

They added that in the process of post-war Iraqi reconstruction, the legitimate interests and concerns of its neighbors and other concerned sides should be taken into account.

The two presidents said that since the Iraq crisis emerged, China and Russia have, along with most nations in the world, insisted on employing political and diplomatic means to solve the Iraq issue and have made continuous efforts for this goal. Such efforts have won wide respect and support from the world opinion.

They both believed that the damage brought about by the Iraq war to the international relations should be minimized and the effort conforms to the common interests of the international community.

They said that the best way to achieve the above goal is to strengthen the role of the multilateral mechanism with the United Nations at its core in resolving the common problems faced by the international community, enhance international cooperation in the fight against terrorism and deal with new threats and new challenges in a coordinated manner.

President Hu arrived in Moscow on Monday for a three-day state visit to Russia.