CAIRO (Updated) - President Hosni Mubarak Wednesday met Alexander Sultanov, deputy Russian foreign minister and special Middle East envoy, at the presidential palace in Cairo, according to the official Middle East News Agency (MENA). Sultanov handed Mubarak message from Russian counterpart Dmitry Anatolyevich Medvedev. Russia has expressed concern over the events in Egypt, where the massive anti-regime protests have entered their third week, and called on the UN and Security Council to send a mission to the region. The Security Council has not visited the troubled Middle East for more than 30 years. Russia's UN ambassador Vitaly Churkin on Tuesday that council envoys should go to Israel, the Palestinian territories, Syria, Egypt and Lebanon. Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov had previously said Egypt should resolve the political crisis through dialogue between Mubarak and his opponents, and has warned foreign powers not to issue "ultimatums" to the regime.
