Ivanov Says Russia Not Invited to Middle East Summit

Published October 16th, 2000 - 03:00 GMT

Russia, a co-sponsor of the Middle East peace process, was not invited to attend the Sharm el-Sheikh summit, Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov said Monday.

"There was no invitation. I do not know if the invitation was sent. I do not know how the list of participants was drawn up. For us it is not the format that is important but the outcome," he said at a press conference here.

"If the outcome is a positive one, then we are going to herald it as such," he added.

Earlier, media reports suggested Russia was snubbing the emergency summit, apparently piqued that only its foreign minister, not its president, had been invited.

Russia along with the United States sponsors the peace process launched in 1991 in Madrid -- MOSCOW (AFP)