NETANYA, Israel: Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived in Israel on Monday for talks with Israeli and Palestinian leaders against the backdrop of sustained violence in Syria and concern on Iran’s nuclear program.
Putin arrived around midday (0900 GMT) for a first stop in the northern Israeli town of Netanya, where he was to participate in the unveiling of a memorial honoring the role of the Red Army in World War II.
Later on Monday, he was to hold talks with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Shimon Peres.
On Tuesday, Putin heads to the West Bank, and will meet Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas, before traveling on to Jordan for talks with King Abdullah II.
On the eve of the trip, Putin’s top foreign policy aide, Yury Ushakov, said it would highlight “the importance of this region for us and is designed to further strengthen Russia’s position here.”
“Of course, the Syrian topic and the situation around Iran will be discussed in detail,” he said.
Moscow and the West have been at loggerheads over the Syrian conflict, with the Kremlin refusing to support sanctions against its Soviet-era ally and resisting outside intervention.
An estimated 15,000 people have been killed in the country since the March 2011 uprising to overthrow President Bashar Assad began.
Russia is pushing for an international Syria conference and has already discussed the plan with Jordan as well as the European Union, Iran and Iraq.
And it has shown little enthusiasm for regime change, despite multiple international calls for Assad to step down.
Also high on Putin’s agenda will be the issue of Iran’s nuclear program, which is a key concern for the Jewish state.
Israel and much of the international community believe Iran’s nuclear program masks a weapons drive, and the United States has led a push for tough sanctions against Tehran.
Israel, which is widely believed to have the Middle East’s sole if undeclared nuclear arsenal, has said the program poses an existential threat and warned it reserves the right to use all means necessary to respond, including military force.
The international community has been pursuing talks with Tehran in recent months, but three high-level meetings — the most recent held in Moscow — have failed to produce any breakthroughs.
The P5+1 group (Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States, plus Germany) has agreed to another round of discussions in Istanbul on July 3, but Israel has warned that lengthy talks give Iran time to continue uranium enrichment.
Putin is also expected to discuss the stalled Israeli-Palestinian peace process in his talks with Netanyahu and Abbas.
The process is in a deep freeze, with direct negotiations on hold since late September 2010.
The Quartet grouping — which brings together the European Union, Russia, the United Nations and the United States — has sought to nudge the sides back to the table. But the Palestinians say they will not hold new talks without an Israeli settlement freeze and an agreement on the parameters for discussions on final borders.
Putin last traveled to Israel in 2005. His predecessor at the Kremlin, Dmitry Medvedev, visited the West Bank and Jordan last year.
