Putin Backs Palestinian Statehood but Urges Arafat to Resume Talks

Russia supports an independent Palestinian state but also believes that negotiations on a peace deal with Israel should move forward, President Vladimir V. Putin told Palestinian Authority President Yasser Arafat on Friday.

Arafat has been on a world tour seeking support for a sovereign state after the failure of U.S.-brokered talks with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak. The Palestinians have said they will declare statehood Sept. 13, despite Israeli opposition.

But Arafat appeared more conciliatory after meeting with officials in Moscow, stressing that peace talks must continue.

“We must complete . . . this peace process, no matter what difficulties we encounter on our way--complete it for the sake of our children, the children of our children, for our future,” Arafat told reporters.

He also lobbied for stronger Russian and European roles in the peace process. Russia is a co-sponsor of the process, along with the United States, but has played a minor part in recent years.

Arafat said he asked Russian leaders to help arrange talks among Israeli, Palestinian, Russian and U.S. representatives, with possible participation by France and Egypt.

After the meeting, Putin ordered his government to “intensify Russian diplomatic contacts on the Palestinian-Israeli direction,” Russian Foreign Minister Igor S. Ivanov said.

“We think it is extremely important now to keep the situation in the course of the negotiation process and to reach a peace agreement,” Ivanov said.

Later Friday, Arafat flew to Oslo but failed to squeeze in a planned meeting in Norway’s capital with Israeli Cabinet minister Shimon Peres.

Norway, which helped broker the 1993 Israeli-Palestinian peace accords, also urged Arafat to be wary of declaring independence without Israel’s consent.