We are grateful to Under-Secretaries-General Amos and Le Roy, to the United N...

We are grateful to Under-Secretaries-General Amos and Le Roy, to the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Ms. Pillay, and to Mr. Daccord, Director General of the International Committee of the Red Cross, for their briefings. The Russian Federation favours the peaceful resolution of disputes. However, despite all the international community's efforts, armed conflicts happen and claim the lives of many people, the majority of whom are civilians. They especially need our protection. We are speaking, first and foremost, of children, women and the elderly, and the humanitarian personnel who help them. We are convinced that correcting this situation demands strict compliance with the norms of international humanitarian law and human rights standards and implementation of relevant Security Council decisions.