STATEMENT BY ALEXANDER YAKOVENKO, THE OFFICIAL SPOKESMAN OF RUSSIA'S MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS REGARDING THE MEETING BETWEEN ISRAELI MINISTER OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS SHIMON PERES AND SAEB OREIKAT, MINISTER FOR LOCAL SELF-GOVERNMENT IN THE PALESTINIAN NATIONAL AUTHORITY

Unofficial translation from Russian

STATEMENT BY ALEXANDER YAKOVENKO, THE OFFICIAL SPOKESMAN OF RUSSIA'S MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS

Regarding the Meeting Between Israeli Minister of Foreign Affairs Shimon Peres and Saeb Oreikat, Minister for Local Self-government in the Palestinian National Authority

A meeting took place in Israel on July 20 between Shimon Peres, Israel's Minister of Foreign Affairs, and Saeb Oreikat, Minister for Local Self-government in the Palestinian National Authority. Representative delegations, including Israeli and Palestinian government ministers, also took part.

According to incoming reports, this meeting - the first of such a level between the Palestinians and Israelis after a long break - has yielded concrete results. The Israeli side promised to take certain measures to alleviate the plight of the Palestinian population, and questions of financial relations between Israel and the PNA were considered.

Of course, these steps cover only a small part of the problems existing between Israel and the Palestinians. Israel, as is known, demands that the Palestinian side take more effective measures against terror, and the Palestinians count, in particular, on the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Palestinian cities, which must become a part of the measures for restarting the peace process.

However, the very fact of the meeting, and the constructive discussion at it of the problems of concern to both parties, are seen in Moscow as a step in the right direction. It appears that the Palestinians and Israelis should further go along the path of fostering a direct and constructive interaction and avoid any moves that could again exacerbate the situation. In particular, in this context it is important to suppress any terrorist acts, and on the Israeli side it is necessary to refrain from such actions as explosions of dwelling homes and the deportation of relatives of persons suspected of links with terrorists.

July 22, 2002