Accompanied by President of the Palestinian National Authority Mahmoud Abbas (1st L), Russian President Vladimir Putin (C) shakes hands with a Palestinian official in Ramallah in the West Bank April 29, 2005. Putin arrived in Ramallah April 29 to start a short visit to Palestine, the first by a Russian president. (Xinhua Photo)

 

   RAMALLAH, April 29 (Xinhuanet) -- Talks between visiting Russian President Vladimir Putin and Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas are focusing on holding an international peace conference on Mideast peace, spokesman for the Palestinian National Authority Nabil Abu Rudeineh said Friday.

    Rudeineh told reporters as the Abbas-Putin summit was underway that Abbas was determined to push forward holding such an international conference.

    After talks with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak on Wednesday, Putin suggested that an international conference be held in Moscow later this year to discuss the implementation of roadmap peace plan.

    The proposal drew an immediate welcome from Palestinian leaders and the European Union, but was turned down by Israel and the United States as premature.

    Rudeineh said the Israeli opposition "is a clear sign that Israel does not want to see any progress in the peace process."  

    As the last leg of his Mideast tour, Putin arrived in the West Bank city of Ramallah earlier in the day. After a high-profile welcoming ceremony, Abbas and Putin went into closed-door talks.  

    Rudeineh revealed that bilateral relations and an expected Israeli evacuation from the Gaza Strip and northern West Bank will also be discussed.

    Abbas will urge Putin to exert more efforts to help implement the roadmap as Russia is one of the so-called quartet committee of key mediators which also groups the United States, the United Nations and the European Union, said Rudeineh.

    He expressed astonishment at Israel's opposition to Putin's offer to give 50 armored vehicles to Palestinian security forces and two transport helicopters to Abbas.

    "We have officially asked the quartet committee to press Israel to let the Palestinians rebuild security apparatuses battered by Israel over the last four years of violence," Rudeineh said. Enditem