Last update - 00:00 10/09/2006
Russian, Italian FMs get cool welcome from Livni and Peres
By Aluf Benn, Haaretz Correspondent
The Russian and Italian foreign ministers, who came here to promote the revival of the Middle East peace process, faced a cool reception Friday in their meetings with Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni and Deputy Prime Minister Shimon Peres.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov proposed an international conference of all the regional players. He said the states in the area want to see results, which could be achieved in "a single blow" by means of an international summit.
Livni rejected the idea, saying such a conference would only complicate matters further.
She said the focus should be on solving the Palestinian issue, which is the heart of the dispute.
Peres told Italian Foreign Minister Massimo D'Alema that before any international conference, the Arab governments' ability to control organizations such as Hamas and Hezbollah must be studied.
D'Alema arrived in Israel filled with optimism from his meeting with Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas and suggested Abbas would decide to create an emergency government or to form a government with Hamas within a few days. According to D'Alema, a Palestinian unity government was highly likely.
Peres dashed his optimism, saying a religious entity would never sit in a government with a secular one, and that Hamas would not agree to the three demands of the international community (renouncing terror, recognizing Israel and honoring existing agreements.)
"It's like the Vatican forming a coalition with the Communist Party in Italy," Peres said.
Livni said Israel has "no problem speaking with any Palestinian government that accepts the preconditions."
"Regarding a meeting with Abbas," she continued, "I do not think there need to be any conditions for such a meeting," but she stressed nothing would come of it unless kidnapped soldier Gilad Shalit was released.