PUTIN TELLS ISRAELI PRESIDENT MOSCOW IS COMMITTED TO MIDDLE EAST

President Vladimir Putin told his visiting Israeli counterpart Moshe Katzav on 23 January that Russia wants to promote peace in the Middle East in cooperation with the United States, abhors terrorism, and will do everything possible to prevent current problems from escalating into another round of violence, Russian and Western agencies reported. He said that Moscow's role, like that of any power not directly involved, "consists of supporting the process, in helping to find a compromise."