Don't ignore Arafat - Putin
20/06/2003 12:32  - (SA)  

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Moscow - Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Friday the United States and other nations seeking to negotiate peace in the Middle East "should not ignore" Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat.

"We have thought and continue to think that we cannot fail to take into account the role of Yasser Arafat in the Middle East peace process. This is an influential person, and many people in the region rely on him," said Putin.

"I believe it would be a mistake to ignore this factor," the Russian leader told a Kremlin press conference.

However he stressed that Moscow and Washington were following the "same general orientation" in their efforts to reach a settlement in the Middle East.

He said that US President George W Bush, during his Mideast tour that followed the Group of Eight summit at Evian, France earlier this month, had "taken into account" the views expressed by Russia and other G8 countries.

In recent months the United States has effectively sidelined Arafat's role in its mediation in favour of Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmud Abbas, although two weeks ago Secretary of State Colin Powell urged Arafat to do more to support the peace process.

Russia has traditionally promoted Palestinian and Arab interests in discussions of the Middle East conflict although it has moved closer to Israel in recent years. - Sapa-AFP

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