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Russia Is Ready to Participate in Middle East Settlement
Russian President Vladimir Putin reiterated Monday that Moscow is ready to take part in the Middle East peace process, so long as such participation is necessary.
"Russia is prepared to make the kind of contribution to the Middle East settlement that would be welcomed by the parties to the conflict, Israel and Palestine, and that would be useful to them," Putin told reporters in the resort city of Sochi, located on the Black Sea coast, where he arrived for a brief vacation on Sunday evening.
In Sochi, Putin will meet Ukrainian and Belarussian Presidents Leonid Kuchma and Alexander Lukashenko to discuss bilateral ties and cooperation.
U.S. President Bill Clinton acted courageously by flying to the Middle East to attend the Israeli-Palestinian summit in the run-up to U.S. presidential elections, Putin said.
"We have enough of our own problems. In particular, issues of bilateral relations must be discussed with Ukraine. Ukraine is a priority strategic partner; we have long-term plans regarding relations with it," he stressed.
At the same time, the Middle East is also of interest to Russia, as it is not far from the Russian border, he said.
Earlier Monday, a Kremlin spokesman said Putin never planned to fly to Sharm El Sheikh for the upcoming multi-party summit on recent Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Observers say the fact that Russia, co-sponsor of the Middle East peace process with the United States, won't be present at such an important summit is unexpected and reflects a subtle change in Russia's status in the Middle East peace process.
Putin's statement indicates that he is carrying out a more practical foreign policy than his predecessor, observers say.
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