Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Friday stressed the importance of strengthening the United Nations role in the struggle against terrorism. "The organization’s actions in this sphere should be built on a comprehensive platform, including universal anti-terror conventions and the Global Anti-Terrorist Strategy which the General Assembly adopted a year ago," the Russian foreign minister said in his speech during the general political discussion at the 62nd session of the United Nations General Assembly. He stressed the importance of multilateral diplomacy based on international law in relations between countries. The strengthening of the United Nations system through its adjustment to new world realities is supposed to contribute to achieving this goal. "All the decisions in this sphere should be built on the basis of broad consensus among member-countries and the universal inter-state nature of the United Nations," Lavrov went on to say. He called for expanding the United Nation’s role in peacekeeping operations. Sergei Lavrov also touched upon some international problems, including Iraq, Iran and the Middle East. He called Iraq a source of regional destabilization. He said security reasons and the needs of Iraq’s economic development required a new strategy with an emphasis on achieving genuine national reconciliation involving all Iraq’s neighbors and support from the World Community. Speaking about the Middle East, Lavrov stressed the importance of finding the earliest solution of the Palestinian problem on the basis of the concept of the "two states" and the achievement of a comprehensive Middle East settlement on the basis of an international legal platform worked out by the United Nations. Lavrov urged the world community not to give up the task of involving Iran in the constructive solution of regional and international problems. "Nuclear non-proliferation should be an absolute priority," the Russian foreign minister went on to say. He pointed out that urgent non-proliferation steps should be accompanied by efforts to provide all nations with legal access to the benefits of the peaceful use of atom. Lavrov noted the Russian and U.S. presidents had launched a joint initiative to begin the work at the summit in Kennebunkport. The Russian foreign minister also stressed the importance of developing cooperation between the United Nations and the Eurasian Economic Community (EurAsEC). Russia is planning to submit a resolution on establishing such cooperation to the U.N. General Assembly together with the other co-authors. Lavrov said the document was designed to put the Community’s cooperation with the United Nations on a systemic basis and contribute to timely achievement of the U.N. Millennium Development Goals. As the incumbent chairman of the Eurasian Economic Community, Russia intends to make the organization’s activity more practical. The Eurasian Economic Community has an observer status at the United Nations General Assembly. Lavrov also called on the U.N. members to support a request to grant the Eurasian Development Bank an observer status at the General Assembly.