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I would like to greet all the participants in this Arab summit meeting.

The current conference of Arab leaders is a major event in international politics. It is being held at a time when the situation in the Middle East has become more complicated, and the results of the meeting will no doubt have a significant and, I am sure, favourable effect on the future of the region. It is therefore no accident that the world community is paying such close attention to your forum, and that it expects you to take responsible and constructive decisions.

This concerns above all the prospects for resuming talks on a comprehensive Middle East settlement. Russia shares the concern of Arab and other countries about the setbacks suffered by the process initiated ten years ago in Madrid. At the same time, I am deeply convinced that it is now necessary to concentrate on remedying the situation through the joint efforts of all parties concerned. I am certain that despite the present difficulties, we should seize every chance to overcome this crisis and renew political dialogue in the interests of a just peace in the Middle East.

The most urgent issue today is that of normalising the situation in the Palestinian territories. This can be achieved only by lifting the blockade, particularly the economic one, of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, and by putting an end to all violence. At the same time, it is important to resume negotiations, which must satisfy the legitimate interests of both sides, including the Palestinian people’s right to self-determination and to a state of their own.

We are also in favour of ending the long period of stagnation in the interrelated Syrian-Israeli and Lebanese-Israeli negotiations. Until the Golan Heights are restored to Syria and Lebanon and Israel achieve a settlement, there cannot be a comprehensive peace in the Middle East.

It is my belief that it would be wrong to go back to square one in the Arab-Israeli dialogue. Years of strenuous efforts have helped the negotiations to go a long way and make serious progress. All that, in our view, deserves careful consideration. It is also important to preserve the political and legal principles of the peace process. I am referring to the Madrid principles, and above all Resolutions 242 and 338 of the UN Security Council.

Russia as a co-sponsor of the peace process intends to continue its efforts in the interests of a comprehensive Arab-Israeli settlement, including coming up with the optimum format for international sponsorship of the negotiations.

The issue of Iraq remains a destabilising factor in the region. It is my firm belief that this problem should be solved exclusively through political and diplomatic means, through the implementation of appropriate Security Council resolutions and without resorting to the use of force in violation of international law. Proceeding from this foundation, Russia has proposed a “package” solution combining the suspension and eventual lifting of sanctions with the re-establishment of international monitoring to ensure that Iraq does not resume its banned military programmes. This idea also presupposes putting a stop to the bombing of Iraq and not interfering in the internal affairs of this sovereign Arab state.

While giving our full support to the dialogue begun between the UN Secretary-General and Iraq, we hope that continued negotiations will contribute to an early political settlement of the Iraqi problem. It is necessary to do everything possible to end the sufferings of the Iraqi people and let them lead a normal life once again.

We believe that it is necessary to make a collective effort to drastically improve the situation in the Persian Gulf and turn it into a region of peace and good-neighbourliness. Russia, it may be recalled, has proposed measures that would guarantee security and prosperity for all the region’s countries, including Iraq and its neighbours. I hope that the leaders of Arab nations will give due consideration to our ideas.

Availing myself of this opportunity, I would like to mention once again that Russia is determined to expand its constructive collaboration with Arab countries in solving the region’s current problems. Promoting mutually beneficial cooperation with the Arab world is one of the top priorities of Russia’s foreign policy. I am convinced that the development of our relations is a long-term factor for stability in the Middle East and serves the interests of international security as a whole.

I would like to wish the participants in the Arab summit meeting good luck in their work.

VLADIMIR PUTIN