Putin and Rice hold talks

Russia’s President Vladimir Putin today met with visiting US national security adviser Condoleezza Rice to confer over bilateral ties, Iraq and the Middle East, the Kremlin said.

Putin and Rice talked about “various issues relating to the Russian-US co-operation, as well as key international problems, including the situation around Iraq and in the Middle East,” Putin’s office said.

Rice, who arrived in Moscow on Friday, is set to leave for Berlin tomorrow.

US administration officials said before Rice’s trip that her talks in Moscow would focus on the scheduled June 30 transfer of power to an interim Iraqi administration and a new United Nations resolution on Iraq.

The US government plans to hand over control to a caretaker Iraqi government, but the US will continue to be responsible for security in the country.

Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Yuri Fedotov said yesterday that Russia is prepared to work toward the adoption of a new UN Security Council resolution on Iraq, but first wants an agreement on what steps should be taken to legitimise a new Iraqi government after the June 30 transfer of sovereignty.

Fedotov added that Russia wouldn’t oppose the deployment of international forces in Iraq after June 30, as long as there was a clear UN mandate detailing their duties and length of stay.

Moscow strongly opposed the US-led war against Iraq, and has repeatedly called for a stronger UN role in the nation.