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Russia cements ties with E.U.

By Vladimir Radyuhin

MOSCOW APRIL 30. Russia and the European Union agreed to build defence ties and uphold the United Nations's key role in world affairs. The Russian Foreign Minister, Igor Ivanov, said Russia was keen to develop close cooperation with the European Union in all spheres, including security and defence.

Strong solidarity demonstrated by Russia and the E.U. struck a sharp contrast with continuing divisions between Moscow and the Iraq war coalition countries, the United States and Britain, revealed during talks between the Russian President, Vladimir Putin, and the British Prime Minister, Tony Blair, in Moscow on Tuesday night.

During his first visit to Russia after the Iraq war, Mr. Blair failed to persuade Mr. Putin to agree to a superficial role for the U.N. in post-war Iraq and to support a quick end to U.N. sanctions against Iraq. Mr. Putin said after talks with the British Premier that now the war was over "the role of the U.N. should be not only restored but strengthened,'' and stood firmly against lifting the sanctions until international inspectors returned to Iraq to prove that the country did not possess weapons of mass destruction. The Russian leader also rejected American dominance of the world. ``If the whole world community is called upon to serve the interests of just one member, that is hardly acceptable.''

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