Piqued Russia keeps off summit

By Vladimir Radyuhin

MOSCOW, OCT. 16. Russia refused to attend the Israel-Palestine summit in Sharm el-Sheikh as co-sponsor of the West Asia peace process, piqued that it was allotted a smaller role than the other co-sponsor, the United States.

The Russian Foreign Minister, Mr. Igor Ivanov, said on Monday that Russia stayed away from the summit because it had not received an invitation. ``There was no invitation. I do not know if the invitation was sent. I do not know how the list of participants was drawn up,'' he told mediapersons in Moscow.

Earlier reports said Mr. Ivanov was to take part in the summit, but the Kremlin apparently decided to ignore the meeting because the President, Mr. Vladimir Putin, had not been invited even though the U.S. was represented by its President, Mr. Bill Clinton.

The Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Sunday that Russia was prepared to take part in the summit ``on equal footing with other participants.''

Mr. Ivanov had shuttled last week between leaders in the region to try to defuse the latest conflict, but on Monday, Mr. Putin suggested he was content to let the U.S. try its hand.

``Russia is willing to take part in the Middle East settlement, but only if the main participants in the process, Palestine and Israel, find it useful and if they ask Russia to help,'' Mr. Putin said in the Black Sea resort of Sochi, where he is taking a short vacation.

Mr. Putin made it clear he was skeptical about the success of the Sharm el-Sheikh summit, describing Mr. Clinton's decision to attend the meeting as a ``courageous step''.

``We are aware of the enormous responsibility all participants in the process, above all the U.S. Administration, have taken upon themselves,'' Mr. Putin said in televised remarks. ``U.S. President Clinton was not afraid to stake his reputation, which is an extremely courageous step in the heat of an election campaign.''

Russian politicians said the latest crisis in West Asia was partly provoked by Washington when it overstretched its mediation hand during the Camp David round of talks earlier this year. ``Clinton pressed (Yasser) Arafat and (Ehud) Barak too hard at Camp David and the peace process snapped,'' said Mr. Vladimir Lukin, deputy head of the International Relations Committee of the Russian lower House, the State Duma. ``It is doubtful Clinton can relaunch the process.''

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