Russian President Calls for End to Violence in Middle EastRussian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday urged Israel and Palestine to end violence and resume the Middle East peace progress as early as possible.Ending violence in every form is the chief condition for resuming the peace process in the Middle East, Sergei Prikhodko, deputy chief of the Kremlin staff, said after talks between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Palestinian leader Yassir Arafat on Tuesday. "There is no alternative to the peace process. Further escalation of tension may lead to unpredictable consequences," he said. Moscow believes that the Mitchell plan and the Egyptian- Jordanian initiative are the basis for resuming talks in the Middle East, Prikhodko said. Describing the two-hour Putin-Arafat meeting as "a very intensive and fruitful talk," he noted that "grave differences remain between the positions of the Palestinian and Israeli sides, but there is an impression that they have a common understanding that further escalation of the conflict is dangerous." Arafat briefed Putin on the latest developments in the region and the position of the Palestinian side, he said. Arafat said the Palestinian side sees Russia as a co-sponsor of the negotiating process and "as one of the most serious guarantors of those talks." Prikhodko also disclosed that a Middle East peace settlement will be a major discussion subject at the coming summit between Russian and U.S. presidents in the Slovenian capital of Ljubljana. Arafat ended his two-day working visit to Moscow after his meeting with Putin, who hopes the Moscow negotiations would boost the Mideast settlement. At a news conference following the meeting, Arafat stressed the need to intensify Russia's role as a co-sponsor of the Mideast peace process. Joint efforts of the co-sponsors and the whole international community are needed to prevent negative developments in the region, Arafat said. During his stay in Moscow, Arafat reaffirmed his readiness to accept the initiative of Egypt and Jordan and the Mitchell plan as the basis for the resumption of negotiations. Arafat left Moscow on Tuesday evening for Denmark. In Copenhagen, he will meet with the Danish government officials and Swedish Prime Minister Goran Persson. Sweden heads the European Union in the first half of this year. |
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