The BBC's Ed Campbell: The bombings have fractured unity at the UN

Mr Vorontsov, who was recalled to Moscow last week in protest at the US air strikes on Iraq, said on Russian television that his consultations on the matter had "ended".

The ambassador said Russia remained critical of the attacks on Iraq.

"This absolutely does not remove our criticism about what happened," he said. "But relations will be constructed normally."

Asked what would happen if the bombing of Iraq continued, Vorontsov stressed: "It will not, it will not"

The United Kingdom Foreign Office has said that Russia's ambassador in the UK, who was also recalled as a result of the strikes on Iraq, will return to his posting within the next few days.

Differences remain

The Security Council is divided over the UN's future role in Iraq

But the assurances of normal relations did not disguise profound differences between Moscow and Washington over future United Nations policy towards Iraq.

In the UN Security Council, the United States has rejected Russian proposals that Secretary-General Kofi Annan play a role in the formulation of UN policy on future Iraqi arms inspections.

Russia, in a draft statement, proposed that Mr Annan first assess the impact of the air strikes "and play his part in promoting humanitarian relief and healing diplomacy."

Amending the statement, the US deleted all reference to a diplomatic role for Mr Annan, saying the secretary-general's role should be only to promote humanitarian relief.

Unscom to reassess

Paul Reynolds on Sandy Berger's speech outlining US proposals

The Americans and Russians agreed that the 21-member governing board of the UN Special Commission in charge of Iraqi disarmament (Unscom), should meet by the end of January to assess the situation.

Despite Russia's insistence that there will be no further bombing of Iraq, US national security advisor Sandy Berger has said that the United States would attack Iraq again if it sought to redevelop weapons of mass destruction.