There are fears that Israel's attacks against Palestinian leaders will spark a new outbreak of violence in the Middle East, so the important thing now is to restore stability to the region, Margelov pointed out. But he said he did not think that international military presence could really be an effective solution.
Margelov particularly stressed the need to uphold the interests of Russian companies operating in Iraq. He cited UN estimates suggesting that the post-war reconstruction will take $9 billion in 2004 and $27 billion more in the three subsequent years. The country's foreign debt now stands at $127 billion, he said.
Other panelists pointed out with satisfaction that the situation in Iraq was becoming more favorable to Russia. They expressed cautious optimism over the prospects of Iraqi settlement, provided that Russia is given a greater role in this process.
