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Palestinian Official Values Russian Position on Middle East Crisis
Secretary-general of the Executive Committee of the Palestinian Liberation Organization Mohammed Abbas on Saturday highly valued his Moscow visit, saying he was pleased with Russia's attitudes toward both sides of the Middle East crisis.
The Palestinian side welcomes more Russian involvement in the Middle East peace process, and this stance is shared by many other Arab countries, said Abbas, who is leading a Palestinian delegation.
"I was glad to hear that Russia assumes a very clear position towards all issues" related to the Middle East peace process, he said.
Abbas also announced that the leader of the Palestinian National Authority Yasser Arafat would visit Russia by the end of 2001.
"The matter is that this visit should be properly prepared," Abbas noted, adding that Arafat is "a welcome guest in Russia and comes here more often than once a year."
The official called for a clear-cut schedule for implementing proposals contained in the Mitchell report and spoke in favor of sending international observers to the Middle East region.
"I cannot understand why Israel is against it, for international representatives would supervise not only them but also us," Abbas said.
"We welcome Russia's involvement in the work of international observers, as well as the presence of U.S. representatives," he added.
Commenting on the U.S. role in Middle East crisis, Abbas said " the American administration is hesitating at the moment" and everyone is trying "to urge it to intensify its role."
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