Russia on Tuesday expressed its hope that a scheduled UN Security Council meeting would be helpful in determining what urgent measures should be taken to stop the deterioration of the situation in Iraq.

"The situation in Iraq is continuing to worsen rapidly, This concerns security as well as the political, economic and humanitarian situation," Interfax quoted Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov said.

"This process needs to be stopped, and this can be done only by combing the efforts of legitimate representatives of the Iraqi people and the international community," the foreign minister said.

Russia, a major opponent to the US-led military operations in Iraq without the authorization of the United Nations, has been insisting on a bigger UN role in Iraq's post-war reconstruction.

Some senior Russian officials have expressed their readiness recently for sending peacekeeping troops to Iraq if United Nations approves such an initiative, but the action is not on the agenda at present since a necessary resolution from the UN Security Council has not been put on the table yet.

The UN Security Council is due to hold an open meeting on Tuesday to hear a briefing by UN Special Representative Sergio de Mello on the world's body's efforts in helping rebuilding war-battered Iraq.

(Xinhua News Agency July 22, 2003)