Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon is likely to delay a three-day visit to Russia planned for next week “due to the rising levels of violence between Israel and the Palestinians over the past few days.”
The hawkish leader is currently still considering whether to postpone the trip and will attend a preparatory discussion meeting Tuesday night, headed by the director general of the Prime Minister's Office, Uri Shani, said Haaretz newspaper.
Preparations for the trip to Russia will continue as planned, with a final decision on the visit only being made at the weekend.
Sharon is scheduled to leave for Moscow next Monday. According to the itinerary, he will meet Russian President Vladimir Putin and ask him to join a united international front “against terror,” along with the United States, said the paper.
Sharon will also tell Putin that the “terror in the Middle East also poses a threat to Russia's security.”
The prime minister will also meet with members of the Russian government, when he will raise the resurgence of anti-Semitism against Russian Jews and the continued leakage of nuclear and missile technology from Russia to Iran, the paper said.
Israel coordinated its positions with the United States, in advance of the visit, at a "strategic dialogue" forum held Monday in Washington, it added - Albawaba.com
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