RUSSIA REGRETS EXECUTION OF IRAQ'S FORMER VICE PRESIDENT

the execution of former Iraqi Vice President Taha Yassin Ramadan will not help restore stability in the country, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman Mikhail Kamynin told Interfax. "We voice our regret over the execution of the former vice president of Iraq and once again stress that such actions will not help normalize the situation in the country," he said. "Only the launch of an effective dialogue involving all forces inside Iraq and the international community, including Iraq's neighbours, can make a real contribution to the normalization of the situation in Iraq," Kamynin said.