MOSCOW, Aug. 29 (UPI) -- Russia is deeply concerned the recent spate of violence in the Middle East could derail the road-map for ending tensions there, Novosti reported Friday.
That warning was conveyed Friday by Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov in a telephone conversation with Palestinian Authority leader Yasser Arafat.
The Russian minister praised Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas and urged Arafat and others in the authority to support Abbas so Israeli-Palestinian negotiations can resume.
"The minister called (on) the Palestinian Authority to be tough against terror, unite security forces as soon as possible and spare no effort to put an end to terrorism," the report said.
The report added Russia considers the road-map plan, of which it is one of the sponsors, the only possible solution.
Novosti said Ivanov had dispatched his special envoy Andrei Vdovin on a trouble-shooting mission to the Middle East.
