"The Middle East crisis is not just an Arab-Israeli problem, but also involves Iraq, Syria and Lebanon. A representative international conference needs to be convened to achieve a comprehensive resolution," Alexander Saltanov, who is also a Russian deputy foreign minister, told a forum on international dialogue in Rhodes.
He said the U.S.-sponsored summit on the Palestinian-Israeli conflict to be held in November will lay the groundwork for a larger-scale international conference that could "launch all tracks" of the Middle East peace process.
The meeting in the U.S. aims to produce an Israeli-Palestinian declaration outlining principles for a peace settlement. However, the two sides have very different visions of such a document.
The Palestinians want a detailed agreement specifying each party's commitment on key issues, including future borders, the status of Jerusalem, Palestinian refugees, and Israeli settlements, while Israelis want a more general guideline, preferably a declaration of intentions.
Islamist militant group Hamas warned earlier on Friday that Palestinians would be pressured to make concessions at the conference, and that it could "bring great losses, not only for the Palestinian cause but the entire Arab and Muslim world." The group has not been invited to the talks.
The conference was first proposed by U.S. President George Bush and subsequently approved by the Middle East Quartet, comprising the United States, United Nations, the European Union, and Russia.
Prospects of a peace settlement between Israel and the Palestinians received a blow in June, when Hamas, considered a terrorist organization by Israel, seized control of the Gaza Strip from the pro-presidential Fatah movement, leaving Abbas and his Fatah forces in control of only the West Bank.
The United States would like other key Arab states to attend the conference, but many Arab nations remain skeptical and have demanded more details.
