Moscow, June 20: Russian president Vladimir Putin said today 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. Bureau Report