the Russian Federation has begun its one month chairmanship of the UN Security Council on August 1st. As chairman of the council, the Russian Federation will give priorities to discussions about situations in Kosovo, Iraq, Afghanistan, the Middle East and conflicts in Africa, said Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Yuri Fedotov. (06-AUG-04)

He also said that the UN Security Council permanent-member states should closely coordinate their actions and adopt a common stance on urgent international issues to speed up the process of seeking political solutions to regional conflicts in the world.

“At the focus of Russian attention will invariably be issues to do with the effectiveness of Security Council efforts in the antiterrorist field,” told Russian Foreign Ministry´s deputy official spokesman, Boris Malakhov.

the Russian Federation will exert all possible efforts to ensure that during its chairmanship the work of the council passes off in a dynamic, businesslike and productive mode so as to contribute to guaranteeing the charter-based prerogatives of the UN Security Council as the main body responsible for maintaining international peace and security.