Russia insists to press ahead with bid for talks between Abbas, Netanyahu

Russia has officially informed Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas that its efforts to arrange a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will continue, a senior official said on Wednesday.

The Palestinian Minister for Foreign Affairs Reyad al-Malki said during an interview with the Ramallah-based "Voice of Palestine" Radio station that Mikhail Bogdanov, Russia's peace envoy had a telephone conversation with President Abbas.

On Tuesday, Abbas's office criticized Netanyahu's request from Russia to postpone a three-way meeting with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Russian President Vladimir Putin, which was scheduled in Moscow next week.

Abbas's office said in an official statement that Netanyahu's request to postpone the meeting "assures that he (Netanyahu) is evading from any international initiative to rescue the stalled peace process."

Russian President Vladimir Putin had proposed a three-way meeting with both Abbas and Netanyahu in Moscow next week. Abbas had stated earlier in Poland that he does not object meeting Netanyahu anywhere.

According to WAFA, the state-run news agency of the Palestinian National Authority, Abbas received a phone call form Bogdanov on Tuesday, saying that Netanyahu asked to postpone the scheduled meeting.

WAFA's report said that Bogdanov briefed Abbas on his earlier meeting with Netanyahu in Jerusalem, adding that Bogdanov informed President Abbas that Netanyahu asked to postpone the meeting in Moscow.

"Bogdanov conveyed to President Putin, the positive role of President Abbas in pushing forward towards making peace," said the report.

It added that both Abbas and Bogdanov agreed to keep in touch between the two sides to arrange a bilateral meeting between President Abbas and President Putin in New York next month."

"Bogdanov informed President Abbas on Tuesday that the Palestinian position is fully clear and that the problem comes from Israel's side," Al-Malki said, adding "the Russian efforts focus on setting up a new date and a place for the meeting."

Meanwhile, Nabil Abu Rdineh, aide to President Abbas, said that the Israeli rejection of the meeting shows once more that the Israeli government is not serious in looking for a just peace based upon the two-state solution along the 1967 borders.

Abu Rdineh informed WAFA that the Israeli government wants to maintain settlement activities, assaults against Palestinians and their lands and evade any commitment towards implementing the agreements.

"Israel always escapes from any international initiative to rescue the stalled peace process in the Middle East," said Abu Rdineh.

The last direct peace talks between Israelis and Palestinians, sponsored by the United States, stopped in April 2014, after nine months without progress, due to critical differences regarding settlements and security.

Earlier on Tuesday, Tayeb Abdul Rahim, another aide to President Abbas, held talks with Bogdanov in Ramallah, after the latter met with Netanyahu.

Abdul Rahim reiterated to Bogdanov that Palestinians support president Putin's initiative.

"Pushing peace forward needs full Israeli commitment to halting settlements, release prisoners arrested before signing Oslo peace accords in 1994 and ending the Israeli occupation and establishing a Palestinian state," said Abdul Rahim. Endit