RUSSIA: BRITISH PRIME MINISTER TONY BLAIR MEETS RUSSIAN PRESIDENT PUTIN FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE WAR ON IRAQ

Record ID: 675535

  • Title: RUSSIA: BRITISH PRIME MINISTER TONY BLAIR MEETS RUSSIAN PRESIDENT PUTIN FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE WAR ON IRAQ
  • Date: 29th April 2003
  • Summary: (W5) MOSCOW, RUSSIA (APRIL 29, 2003) (REUTERS) WIDE OF BRITISH PRIME MINISTER TONY BLAIR GETTING OFF PLANE SLV RUSSIAN FOREIGN MINISTRY OFFICIALS GREETING BLAIR SLV BLAIR AND BRITISH OFFICIALS WALKING TOWARDS AIRPORT ARRIVAL HALL
  • Embargoed: 14th May 2003 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: APRIL 29, 2003
  • Country: Russia
  • Topics: General,Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVA408GFQKKHI9NJ8I7THYRKFX6Y
  • Story Text: British Prime Minister Tony Blair has started talks in Moscow with Russian President Vladimir Putin to try and straighten out differences over the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq and reassert the role of the United Nations.
    British Prime Minister Tony Blair arrived in Moscow on Tuesday (April 29) for talks with Russian President Putin over the aftermath of the war in Iraq.
    Flying to the Russian capital, Blair acknowledged that Russia and Britain would have to work on rebuilding their relationship. Britain helped the United States overthrow the Saddam Hussein regime, while Russia opposed the use of force and called on the United Nations to play a key role in solving the crisis.
    Blair and Putin met at the Russian leader's private residence at Novo-Ogarevo, near Moscow. They were scheduled to hold four hours of talks.
    The Prime Minister said he would urge Putin to back the lifting of sanctions against Iraq.
    Russia, eager to retain a bargaining chip in its efforts to protect commercial interests in Iraq, has so far argued that the sanctions, imposed by the UN because of Saddam's alleged weapons of mass destruction, could not be lifted until the weapons were located.
    The Prime Minister said he was keen for the sanctions issue to be resolved through the United Nations. But he stressed that the issue must not be bogged down in the kind of diplomatic wrangling which preceded the war.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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