Israeli FM Again Postpones Visit to RussiaIsraeli Foreign Minister Shlomo Ben-Ami has again postponed his planned trip to Russia to meet with his counterpart Igor Ivanov, Israel Radio reported on Tuesday, December 5.Ben-Ami's office has said Ben-Ami's visit was put off because of the security situation. But the radio quoted Foreign Ministry officials as saying that the move was aimed at preventing Russia from playing a role in the peace process. The two countries will fix a new date for the visit according to the developments of the situation in the Palestinian territories and the internal situation in Israel. This was the third postponement of Ben-Ami's trip to Moscow, during which Russia was expected to put forward a proposal on easing the tension in the Middle East by ending the Israeli-Palestinian violence since September 28, that has left nearly 300 people dead, most of them Palestinians. The two officials were also to discuss the possibility of resuming the peace process. Moscow has reportedly proposed holding an international conference to mediate a peace agreement between the Palestinians and Israel. It has also expressed support for sending of international observers to the Palestinian territories. But Israel has rejected the ideas. |
| People's Daily Online --- http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/ |