Russia's special Middle East envoy Andrei Vdovin arrives in Egypt on Saturday for talks with Foreign Minister Ahmed Maher on ways to halt the continuing unrest in the Palestinian territories, reported Al Ahram daily.
Vdovin’s visit comes amid joint Egyptian efforts with the United States, Russia and the European Union to create a suitable atmosphere for building confidence between Israelis and Palestinians, according to a statement by the Russian Foreign Ministry.
The foreign ministry charged that Israel was continuing a "military escalation" against the Palestinians and "has not respected" the Mitchell report recommendations, which it said formed the basis of confidence-building.
The US-led Mitchell Commission called for an immediate and unconditional ceasefire to end more than nine months of violence, as well as confidence-building measures with a view to resuming peace negotiations.
During a June 12 visit to Egypt, Vdovin said Russia would play a "more active role" in the Middle East, after a meeting with President Hosni Mubarak – Albawaba.com
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