MOSCOW, Sept. 12 (UPI) -- Russia said Friday any move by Israel to expel Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat would be "a serious mistake," Radio Free Europe reported.
A statement from the Foreign Ministry said such a step would make a peaceful resolution of the Middle East conflict impossible and would lead to what it called a "worst-case scenario."
Russia, along with the United States, United Nations and the European Union, are the co-sponsors of the road map aimed at establishing peace in the region.
The implementation of the decision would become a serious political mistake fraught with "extremely negative consequences" for the situation, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman Alexander Yakovenko told the Novosti news agency.
The United States and European Union also denounced a possible Israeli move to expel Arafat.
The decision to deport Arafat was made in retaliation for two terrorist acts in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, which killed 23 Israelis and wounded dozens more.
