Russian and British Foreign Ministers Discuss Coming Meeting on Palestine

Russia's Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov and his British counterpart Jack Straw have discussed Middle East settlement in a telephone conversation.

The ministers also considered issues concerning the international meeting to assist Palestinian reforms, which is scheduled to take place in London, the Russian Foreign Minister's Information and Press Department reported.

The meeting on issues of settling the Israeli-Palestinian confrontation and the need for conducting democratic reforms in Palestine will start in the British capital on Tuesday.

The meeting will be held despite the fact that the Palestinian delegation will not be able to arrive in London, according to a RIA Novosti correspondent from Tel Aviv. A television or, at least, telephone link to ensure the Palestinian leaders' presence at the meeting will be established between London and Ramallah.

The decision to keep the Palestinian delegation away from London was taken a week ago by the so-called Israeli narrow ministry on issues of politics and security in answer to the Tel Aviv terrorist act that had killed 23 people.

Besides Palestinians the meeting will be attended by representatives from "the Middle East quartet" including Russia, the USA, the UN and the European Union. Politicians from several Arab countries, including Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Egypt, have also been invited to the meeting.