Federation Council official to meet with Israeli and Palestinian leaders

Mikhail Margelov, chairman of the international committee of the RussianFederation Council, is leaving for the Middle East today. It is plannedthat he will meet with Israeli and Palestinian authorities during thisvisit. In particular, Margelov is expected to meet with Israeli DeputyPrime Minister Natan Sharansky, the Mayor of Jerusalem and deputies of theparliament. The parties will discuss problems of reestablishing contactsbetween Israel and Palestine and questions regarding Russian-Israelirelations, Margelov said in an interview with RosBusinessConsulting today.Moreover, he is scheduled to meet with new authorities of the PalestinianAutonomy, including Yasser Arafat.In April, Margelov was commissioned to be a reporter of the politicalcommission of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe on theMiddle East problems; in June he was a member of the PACE delegation thatvisited this region..