Mr. Ivanov dismissed rumors that Russia and the United States were going to end cooperation in this area. According to him, joint anti-terrorist actions with the United States are more important for Russia that disagreements over Iraq.

The Russian Defense Minister made this statement following talks with US State Secretary Colin Powell. NATO activities, regional security and the fight against terrorism were discussed at the talks. Special attention was paid to the situation in the Middle East. The situation in Iraq and Kosovo was also discussed.

The US State Department praised the meeting between Mr. Powell and the Russian Defense Minister, Adam Ereli, the deputy spokesman for the State Department, told reporters in Washington.