Mikhail Kamynin told RIA Novosti the initiative to hold an international conference on the Middle East, which was proposed by President Vladimir Putin in 2005, "may become an optimal mechanism to restart Arab-Israeli negotiations on all tracks" and may help lead the peace process out of its deadlock. Kamynin said the number of supporters of the initiative continues to grow.
Since Islamist group Hamas came to power in Palestine, Western nations have blocked aid to the Palestinian government over Hamas refusal to recognize Israel's right to exist, give up violence and comply with previous Palestinian-Israeli agreements seeking a solution to the protracted Middle East crisis.
Last week, the president-led Fatah movement and Hamas reached an agreement in principle on the structure of a new power-sharing Cabinet at Saudi-sponsored negotiations in Mecca in an effort to avert civil war and to restart constructive dialogue with Israel.
Kamynin said Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov will also discuss with the UAE leadership ways to stabilize the situation in Iraq, measures to resolve differences between the government and opposition in Lebanon, security problems in the Persian Gulf and a number of other bilateral issues.
