Putin praises Palestinian leader Abbas

26 Jun 2012, 10:38 pm   -   Source: AAP
Israel has urged Russian president Vladimir Putin (L) to pressure Iran to curb its nuclear program. (AAP)

Israel has urged Russian president Vladimir Putin (L) to pressure Iran to curb its nuclear program. (AAP)

Russian President Vladimir Putin has spent two days visiting the Israelis and Palestinians, with both sides asking for support.

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Russian President Vladimir Putin has praised Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas for what he said was a "responsible" position on negotiations with Israel.

Standing with President Mahmoud Abbas during a visit to the West Bank on Tuesday, Putin said: "We talked about ways of overcoming the dilemma of the Israeli-Palestinian peace process.

"I point out here the responsible position of President Abbas and his endeavour to reach a peaceful settlement based on a two-state settlement."

"I am sure that all unilateral actions are not constructive," he added in apparent reference to the building of Israeli settlements.

During the one-day visit, Putin inaugurated a Russian cultural and language centre in Bethlehem and toured the church built over the traditional birth grotto of Jesus.

Israeli-Palestinian talks on the terms of Palestinian statehood broke off in 2008. Repeated efforts to restart them have failed because of wide gaps between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Abbas.

Russia is an important Mideast player, in part because it is a member of the so-called quartet of mediators.

Abbas reiterated on Tuesday that negotiations with Israel remained his key goal.

He said he asked Putin for help in persuading Israel to release veteran Palestinian prisoners who had been in jail since before the interim Israeli-Palestinian peace deals of the mid-1990s.

On Monday, Putin met Netanyahu, who urged Russia to step up pressure on Iran to curb its suspect nuclear program.

Putin said his talks with Netanyahu covered the situation in Iran and the uprising in Syria, but added that he saw negotiations as the only solution for such matters.

At a state dinner on Monday, Israeli President Shimon Peres pressed Putin further, asking that he "raise his voice" against a nuclear Iran.

Putin responded by saying that Russia has a "national interest" to secure peace and quiet in Israel but did not elaborate further.

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