Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon will urge Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday to persuade Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat to halt 11 months of Israeli-Palestinian violence.
Sharon arrived in Moscow late on Monday ahead of the Kremlin talks after meeting E.U. foreign policy chief Javier Solana, who is trying to facilitate a meeting later this week between Arafat and Israeli Foreign Minister Shimon Peres on the crisis. The Palestinians blame Israel for the spiraling violence which has cost the lives of more than 700 people and pushed trust to new lows.
Israeli government spokesman Avi Pazner said that Sharon would also use his visit to press Russia to stop the transfer of nuclear and missile know-how to regional rival Iran.
"His main aim is to persuade Putin, who is his personal friend, to put pressure on Arafat to stop the violence," Pazner told media persons.
"Second, he wants Russia to make a major effort to stop the transfer of Russian technology toward Iran, to try to prevent Iran building a nuclear bomb, and missiles, which could carry the bomb all over. There's a sizeable amount of Russian technology that has been going for years to Iran."
One potential embarrassment has been removed, however, with the cancellation of a visit to Moscow by the Iranian defense minister during Sharon's stay. No new date was announced.
Tehran does not recognize Israel and calls for its destruction as the only solution to the Middle East problem.
Sharon also hopes to strengthen economic and political ties with Moscow on his first trip to Russia since his election in February on a promise to increase Israelis' security. Bureau Report