MOSCOW, November 16 (RIA Novosti) - The meeting of international specialists on Middle East conflict resolution proposed by Russian President Vladimir Putin will take place when all prospective participants are ready for it, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Wednesday.
"This proposal is still on the agenda. We do not believe an artificial date should be set here," Lavrov told journalists.
He said one of the issues to be considered would be a plan which had been agreed on in Madrid a decade before but then was abandoned. It proposed developing multifaceted cooperation between the countries of the region, including Arab states and Israel, in the economic, trade, environment, and water resources spheres.
Putin proposed the high-profile meeting during his visit to the Middle East in April. It was scheduled to be held this fall with the participation of Palestinians, Israelis, and the quartet of international intermediaries (the U.S., EU, UN, and Russia), as well as Arab countries.
