Yasser Arafat as well as his recently elected Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas to solve their differences, Russian officials say.
In a rare interview with BosNewsLife on Mount Nebo, where Moses saw the Promised Land he never entered, Russian delegation members explain their country wants to support a peace settlement with Israel.
"(Foreign Minister) Igor Ivanov has held separate talks (this week) with Arafat and Abbas" in an effort to break the ice between the two men over the Roadmap for Peace, say high ranking Russian diplomats who met Ivanov in Jordan.
Both men have been at odds over Israel’s and Washington’s refusal to deal with Arafat because of his alleged support for terrorism. Prime Minister Abbas is seen as a reformer, ready to be tough on militants.
MILITANTS
But he needs Arafat’s backing, as the Palestinian leader is believed to have influence over several militant organizations.
BosNewsLife has learned that Ivanov invited Russian Ambassadors and other officials from Turkey and the Middle East to discuss Russia’s role in the region during his three day trip to Jordan this week.
As the United States is increasingly occupied with its struggling, blood stained, reconstruction mission in Iraq, Palestinian and Israeli officials and neighboring countries have apparently asked Russia to increase its diplomatic efforts in the Middle East.
RIVAL
"However we do not want to be a rival with the U.S.," says a Russian top diplomat from Turkey, on condition of anonymity, as he watches Israel from the top of Mount Nebo. He came to the site to reflect on the spiritual significance of the region.
He says Russia is interested in stability in the Middle East as it is key to rebuilding Russia’s economy. "Many Russian companies are active in the Middle East, including Iraq." In addition Russia wants to see "repayment of Iraq’s outstanding debt" of at least hundreds of millions of dollars, the diplomat adds.
While some conservative Christian groups are concerned about Russia’s role in Israel, that some have linked to the last days as described in the Bible, Washington for now seems ready to accept Moscow’s increased political cloud.
CLOUDS
Clouds are also hanging around wind swept Mount Nebo that day, blocking a clear view of the hills of Jerusalem, as Christians pray for peace in that troubled land. "Yet to be here makes my soul happy," says 37-year old Russian medical doctor Jaroslav Zhelezhov, an Orthodox Christian.
He notes that since the collapse of the Soviet Union, there is an increased interest in his country’s Biblical heritage. Russians and other people from the former Soviet Union are among the relative few tourists that visit Mount Nebo and other Christian sites in Jordan.
However 45-year old Elena Babich from Ukraine, who now works as a gynecologist in Yemen, suggests she is not afraid for possible terrorist attacks as the conflicts are mainly in Israel and Iraq. But the quest book at the entrance of Mount Nebo’s basilica reveal that many foreigners stay away, apparently because of fear.
ANCIENT
While the ancient memorial to Moses, who lead the people of Israel to their Promised Land, received world-wide attention when Pope John Paul II visit the site in March 2000, "you don’t see the groups you saw before," say a photographer and a local guide.
They may be Muslims, but Christians are more than welcome as they are seen as crucial for the economic survival of Jordan, a small Kingdom of just over 4 million people.
