The vice president of the Socialist International, Walter Veltroni, will meet with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak and Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat on Thursday for talks on the Middle East crisis, Italian officials said Wednesday.
Veltroni, who is leader of Italy's main governing party, the Democrats of the Left, will leave Rome with a Socialist International mandate late Wednesday, a party statement said.
His visit comes a day after former Israeli prime minister Shimon Peres held talks in Rome with Italian premier, Giuliano Amata, and Vatican officials.
Peres was starting a whirlwind tour of European capitals to explain Israel's position after the latest outbreak of violence.
Peres told journalists during a press conference that the Middle East peace process was under threat but not dead.
Veltroni was to meet with the Israeli Labor prime minister in Tel Aviv and will see Arafat in Gaza later in the afternoon - ROME (AFP)
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