 AMMAN - Russian President Vladimir Putin, on the last leg of a Middle East tour of three US allies, will meet JordanÂ’s King Abdullah and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Tuesday in a clear show of RussiaÂ’s regional ambitions.
Earlier, in Saudi Arabia and Qatar, Putin suggested Russian foreign policy offered an alternative to US “unilateralism” in the search for a solution to the Middle East problems. He also called for cooperation among the world’s key energy exporters.
| Sorta like the way the Russians 'cooperated' with Belarus, Ukraine and Georgia. |
“We are striving to create a fairer world order based on principles of equality,” Putin told a business forum in Riyadh.
| With the Russians as the first amongst equals, of course, just like it was back in the days of the Comintern ... |
“This is a course Russia conducts everywhere including the spacious Arabian Peninsula and the Gulf,” he added. “Time has shown our views find support in Arab and other Muslim states.”
| Just as it was back in the days when the Soviets were exporting MiG-17s and T-55s to all the best Arab states. |
Russia, a member of the Middle East Quartet also including the United Nations, the European Union and the United States, will renew efforts to call a broad regional conference, Putin said in Qatar. He appeared to be referring to Moscow’s plan to engage Syria and Iran — so far rejected by the Western partners.
RIA news agency quoted PutinÂ’s top foreign policy aide Sergei Prikhodko as saying a three-way meeting between Abbas, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice due on Feb. 18 would be discussed when Putin met Abbas. |