Russia warned Saturday that it would abandon its role as a peace co-sponsor if the Sharm el-Sheikh summit failed, reported Kuwait News Agency (KUNA).
"If the Sharm el-Sheikh summit ends in failure, Russia would no longer stand as a co-sponsor of the Middle East peace process," said Dmitri Rogozin, Chief of Russian State Duma International Affairs Committee.
Rogozin's remarks came during a meeting Saturday with the ambassadors of Palestine, Syria, Oman, Egypt, Lebanon, Morocco and Iraq.
Rogozin said that the United States and Israel would be responsible for any failure, according to the agency.
KUNA reported that Israel rejected the participation at the summit due to take place on Monday.
Rogozin, meanwhile, said that the United States could not be neutral and objective as to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, accusing Washington to speed up the process for "US electoral purposes."
Russia has adopted a neutral position over the recent escalation in the Palestinian territories and refrained from condemning Israel, said KUNA.
For their part, the ambassadors suggested "setting up an authoritative international commission to investigate into the reasons behind the bloodshed and bringing international peacekeeping forces" onto the territory of the conflict," said the agency - Albawaba.com
© 2000 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
