SCZONE showcases investment opportunities to eight Japanese companies    Egypt urges Israel to accept Gaza deal amid intensifying fighting    Egypt, ADIB explore strategic partnership in digital healthcare, investment    Egypt's PM meets Tokyo governor, witnesses signing of education agreements    Egypt welcomes international efforts for peace in Ukraine    Al-Sisi, Macron reaffirm strategic partnership, coordinate on Gaza crisis    Egypt's Sisi, France's Macron discuss Gaza ceasefire efforts in phone call    Contact Reports Strong 1H-2025 on Financing, Insurance Gains    Egypt, India's BDR Group in talks to establish biologics, cancer drug facility    AUC graduates first cohort of film industry business certificate    Egypt to tighten waste rules, cut rice straw fees to curb pollution    Indian tourist arrivals to Egypt jump 18.8% in H1-2025: ministry data    Egyptian pound down vs. US dollar at Monday's close – CBE    Egypt prepares unified stance ahead of COP30 in Brazil    Egypt recovers collection of ancient artefacts from Netherlands    Egypt harvests 315,000 cubic metres of rainwater in Sinai as part of flash flood protection measures    Egypt, Namibia explore closer pharmaceutical cooperation    Fitch Ratings: ASEAN Islamic finance set to surpass $1t by 2026-end    Renowned Egyptian novelist Sonallah Ibrahim dies at 88    Egyptian, Ugandan Presidents open business forum to boost trade    Al-Sisi says any party thinking Egypt will neglect water rights is 'completely mistaken'    Egypt's Sisi warns against unilateral Nile measures, reaffirms Egypt's water security stance    Egypt's Sisi, Uganda's Museveni discuss boosting ties    Egypt, Huawei explore healthcare digital transformation cooperation    Egypt's Sisi, Sudan's Idris discuss strategic ties, stability    Egypt to inaugurate Grand Egyptian Museum on 1 November    Greco-Roman rock-cut tombs unearthed in Egypt's Aswan    Egypt reveals heritage e-training portal    Sisi launches new support initiative for families of war, terrorism victims    Egypt expands e-ticketing to 110 heritage sites, adds self-service kiosks at Saqqara    Palm Hills Squash Open debuts with 48 international stars, $250,000 prize pool    On Sport to broadcast Pan Arab Golf Championship for Juniors and Ladies in Egypt    Golf Festival in Cairo to mark Arab Golf Federation's 50th anniversary    Germany among EU's priciest labour markets – official data    Paris Olympic gold '24 medals hit record value    A minute of silence for Egyptian sports    Russia says it's in sync with US, China, Pakistan on Taliban    It's a bit frustrating to draw at home: Real Madrid keeper after Villarreal game    Shoukry reviews with Guterres Egypt's efforts to achieve SDGs, promote human rights    Sudan says countries must cooperate on vaccines    Johnson & Johnson: Second shot boosts antibodies and protection against COVID-19    Egypt to tax bloggers, YouTubers    Egypt's FM asserts importance of stability in Libya, holding elections as scheduled    We mustn't lose touch: Muller after Bayern win in Bundesliga    Egypt records 36 new deaths from Covid-19, highest since mid June    Egypt sells $3 bln US-dollar dominated eurobonds    Gamal Hanafy's ceramic exhibition at Gezira Arts Centre is a must go    Italian Institute Director Davide Scalmani presents activities of the Cairo Institute for ITALIANA.IT platform    







Thank you for reporting!
This image will be automatically disabled when it gets reported by several people.



Israeli settlement dispute clouds quartet meeting
Published in Almasry Alyoum on 17 - 03 - 2010

Moscow--A bitter dispute over Israeli settlements is clouding the chances for progress on Friday at a high-level Moscow meeting aimed at advancing Middle East peace.
Russia, eager to raise its profile as a Middle East peacemaker, has long hoped to push the process forward by hosting a follow-up to the 2007 Annapolis peace conference in the United States, with all the major players on hand.
Instead, it must settle for now for a ministerial-level meeting of the quartet of Middle East mediators -- Russia, the United States, the United Nations and the European Union -- at a time when hopes of a breakthrough are minimal.
The one-day quartet meeting will bring US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton to Moscow.
They come days after Clinton criticized as insulting the announcement of a new Israeli settlement project, which sparked Palestinian anger and dashed any hopes of indirect talks between Israel and the Palestinians soon.
"The real world is moving in the opposite direction to the quartet," said Yevgeny Satanovsky, president of Moscow's Institute of Middle East Studies.
International efforts won't solve the problems when Israelis and Palestinians are moving farther apart, he said, dismissing the quartet as "a very expensive club for diplomats."
The quartet itself said that it would "take full stock" of the situation at Friday's talks, but promised nothing more.
Ban, before leaving for Moscow on Tuesday, said that the United Nations is "very concerned about the situation on the ground" in the Middle East.
"I will work with our partners and the two sides to find a way to resume talks for a just resolution of this conflict," the UN chief said.
Russia has joined the other Quartet members in criticizing Israel's plan to build 1,600 homes for Jews in a part of the occupied West Bank it annexed to Jerusalem, and has not played up chances for progress at the talks.
"Frankly speaking, I don't think Russia hopes for anything," said the editor of he journal Russia in Global Affairs, Fyodor Lukyanov. "It's clear the general constellation of forces in the region is absolutely not conducive to achieving anything."
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has said the housing plan must be scrapped before proximity talks could start.
With Middle East prospects dim, Lukyanov and other Russian analysts said the trip will give Clinton a chance to push for a new nuclear arms control treaty with Russia and for Moscow's support for sanctions on Iran.
"For Clinton, the quartet meeting is just a strong pretext to come to Moscow and press the reset button again," said analyst Lilia Shevtsova of the Carnegie Moscow Centre, referring to the Obama administration's efforts to mend ties with Russia.
Russian and US teams have been negotiating for months on a successor to the 1991 START I treaty, and Lavrov said on Tuesday that they could have a deal ready for signing by early April.
With or without a breakthrough, the quartet meeting could advance Russia's bid to strengthen economic ties and emphasize its credentials as an honest broker to the Arab world, said Chris Weafer, chief strategist at investment bank Uralsib.
"Russia is looking at the Arab world as potential inward investors and by improving relations with Arab countries, it hopes to attract investors into the energy sector and elsewhere as it seeks to diversify," said Weafer.


Clic here to read the story from its source.