Russian efforts to revive the Middle East peace process
Regional-Russia, Politics, 5/11/1999

Arab League Secretary General Esmat Abdul Meguid yesterday received a message from Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov pertaining to the importance of Russian-Arab coordination to revive the Middle East peace process and the situation in the Balkan region.

The Russian ambassador to Egypt, Vladimir Joseph, who conveyed the message stressed his country's desire to exert all efforts for reviving the Middle East peace process as well as Russia's backing of the right of the Palestinian people to declare their own independent state and the importance of Israel's adherence to UN Security Council resolutions concerning the Middle East peace process, especially UN resolutions 242, 338 and 425 and the land for-peace-formula.

Concerning the Balkans, the Russian ambassador said there is a consensus on the importance of transferring the crisis from the military phase into the political one with reliance on the UN, the security council and the good offices exerted by certain countries, including Russia.

For his part, the AL chief warned against the consequences of the Israeli occupation authorities in Jerusalem closing down Beit al-Sharq (Orient House) or permitting Israeli settlers to building on and confiscate Palestinian territories.

The AL chief also warned against the repeated and continued Israeli aggressions against south Lebanon. He stressed that these practices are grave and dangerous and will affect the future of the Middle East peace and assert Israel's persistence to destroy all peace chances.

The AL chief called on the Russian side, one of the Middle East peace process cosponsors, to shoulder its responsibility and carry out a role together with the American and European sides in order to pressure Israel to halt these aggressive practices.

The AL chief also called for intensifying international efforts to find a political settlement for the question of Kosovo and to return the refugees.

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