He said that the members of the commission, who had just arrived in Moscow, would be received in the Foreign Ministry on Tuesday, November 16.
On the eve of the visit, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Yuri Fedotov stated that Moscow was ready to conduct a round of consultations with experts from the Volcker Commission "on all issues that might draw their interest."
He reminded that the Volcker Commission was formed on the initiative of UN Secretary General Kofi Annan to investigate the serious allegations of Oil-for-Food program in Iraq improprieties, committed by members of the UN administration.
The UN Security Council approved Kofi Annan's initiative and appealed to all countries to cooperate with the Volcker Commission.
"We are ready to meet with the members of the commission and discuss all relevant issues. We will cooperate with the commission on assumption that, according to the UN resolution, it does not have the status of an investigative body. This group does not have authority to file claims against anybody; it simply gathers information for a final report, which will be submitted to the UN Secretary General," concluded Mr. Fedotov.
According to the western, and especially the US media, there had been some improprieties in the implementation of Oil-for-Food program, which allowed Iraq to sell a certain amount of oil and use the revenues to purchase food and medical supplies for Iraqi population. The media mentioned a number of politicians and companies that had been allegedly involved in illegal business activities under the program.
