(Xinhua)
Updated: 2008-01-24 00:00

MOSCOW -- Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Wednesday appealed for a timetable for the pullout of foreign troops from Iraq, saying national unity was the key to settling conflicts in the war-torn country.

"We understand the position taken by the Iraqi government that without foreign troops they cannot resolve security problems. However, we still think that it would be right to set some approximate timetable for pulling out the troops," Lavrov told a press conference in Moscow.

The top Russian diplomat said the withdrawal of the US-led coalition troops could calm the situation down and he urged for "national reconciliation" to settle the current conflicts.

"More decisive steps are needed for the establishment of national unity and putting an end to feud... This can be only done through the political process," he said.

In a report released last week, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said that although attacks in Iraq have decreased, insecurity continues to severely limit the activities of the United Nations mission there, while the political situation has not improved as much as had been desired.

The top UN envoy in Iraq, Staffan de Mistura, said on Monday the Iraqi government still needs international assistance to help tackle remaining challenges in the new year despite recent improvements in Iraq's security and political situation.

A US soldier died and another was injured in an accident in northern Iraq on Wednesday, bringing the total number of US soldiers killed in Iraq to about 3,930 since the US-led invasion in 2003, according to media count based on Pentagon figures.