For his part, Ambassador Sergey Lavrov of the Russian Federation said he did not think that the chance for the peaceful disarmament of Iraq has been lost or missed. “We are convinced, on the contrary, that the inspections are proceeding effectively and that Iraq is responding to the demands of the international community and to the pressure exerted on it,” he said. “We think that this should continue on the basis of the unity of the Council, which we very strongly support.”

U.N. News Centre: http://www.un.org/News

Photo of Security Council President, Ambassador Gunter Pleuger, courtesy of the Permanent Mission of Germany to the United Nations:
http://www.un.org/Docs/sc/presidency