Benjamin Netanyahu comes to Moscow to discuss the results of the Washington meeting of the Four

The discussion of the results of the Washington meeting of the Four (the USA, Russia, the EU and the UN) on the Middle East is on the agenda of Israeli Foreign Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's visit to Moscow and his talks with his Russian counterpart, Igor Ivanov.

The Israeli minister told this to journalists on Sunday evening upon his arrival in Moscow. He said it was his fifth but, hopefully, not the last visit to Moscow. He described Russo-Israeli relations as marvellous in all areas and becoming warmer and closer every day.

Mr Netanyahu added that the two countries had largely similar views, in particular, in the struggle against terrorism, and expressed the confidence that their relations would continue to grow stronger.

Commenting on the US decision on the potential large-scale military operation against Iraq, the Israeli foreign minister said that there is broad support in Israel for the potential US actions in Iraq. He pointed out that Israel stood at the forefront from the viewpoint of Saddam Hussein's designs and said his country was convinced that if Saddam could he would certainly continue to develop non-conventional weapons that would be dangerous not only to Israel but also to other countries.

Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel did not believe the elections in the Palestinian National Authority and Arafat's intentions. He added that Israel knew the corrupt system and did not entertain any hopes in this sense. In his words, Arafat, who stands for terrorism, cannot be regarded as a legitimate leader.

Benjamin Netanyahu stressed that what happened in New York on September 11 last year happens in Israel every day.