"The decision cannot be automatic. It requires the fulfillment of certain conditions stipulated in relevant UN Security Council resolutions on Iraq," Ivanov told reporters on the sidelines of a foreign policy forum in Moscow.

Russia needs the sanctions to be lifted as soon as possible and will work toward this end, said Ivanov, stressing that lifting the sanctions would be in the interests of the entire international community.

"But this must be based on international law, on compliance with UN Security Council resolutions," he said.

US President George W. Bush said Wednesday that he would soon propose a UN resolution ending the 12-year-old economic sanctions because of the regime change.

A senior Russian legislator Thursday blamed the US proposal to lift UN sanctions on Iraq as "mercenary."

An unnamed official with the Foreign Ministry said earlier Thursday that Moscow wanted UN weapons inspectors, who pulled out of Iraq on the eve of the US-led war in late March, to return to the country to determine whether Iraq has weapons of mass destruction or not.

Russia has been a fierce opponent of the US-British invasion of Iraq and cast doubt on the accusations that Baghdad was developing biological, chemical and nuclear weapons.

The United Nations imposed sweeping sanctions, including a ban on all trade with Iraq, an embargo on its oil exports and an arms embargo, on Iraq after Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait in August 1990.

(Xinhua News Agency April 17, 2003)