JERUSALEM: Israel's Olmert convenes cabinet ahead of departure to Moscow amid string of diplomats in region

Record ID: 751796

  • Title: JERUSALEM: Israel's Olmert convenes cabinet ahead of departure to Moscow amid string of diplomats in region
  • Date: 5th October 2008
  • Summary: 'SERGEY'S YARD' COMPOUND IN JERUSALEM, WHICH OLMERT IS INTERESTED IN HANDING BACK TO RUSSIA
  • Embargoed: 20th October 2008 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Topics: International Relations,Domestic Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVABUKCOJ9KPY2K7473VVBJD10Z5
  • Story Text: Israeli Acting Prime Minister Ehud Olmert convened his cabinet on Sunday (October 5) ahead of his departure to Russia for talks with its leaders.
    "Russia is a super power, important and strong both militarily and economically. There are several issues on the agenda - security, military and political and international - between us and Russia and those issues have been discussed for a long while and must continue to be discussed. This will be the first meeting of our high ranks with the new president Dmitry Medvedev,"
    Olmert told his cabinet ministers.
    Olmert, who is expected to visit Russia on Monday (October 6), has been serving in a caretaker capacity since resigning a week ago. He had planned to visit Moscow earlier this month, but the trip was postponed amid political uncertainty in Israel touched off by a corruption scandal that forced him to step down.
    Israeli officials said at the time that Olmert intended to discuss Iran's nuclear program and voice concern over reports that Russia planned to arm Syria with advanced missiles.
    "I will repeat issues that have created immediate concerns in our region and everything that has to do with supplying weapons to irresponsible factors, whom we are concerned about their activity regardless, and about the continuation of the Iranian problem that Russia is especially involved in and other issues," Olmert said at the start of the meeting.
    Olmert also said he would ask his ministers to approve the handover of a compound in the heart of Jerusalem, called Sergey's Yard, back to Russia after it was taken over by Israel in 1967 when Russia cut off its diplomatic relations with the Jewish state following the 1967 Middle East War.
    Israel had considered handing back the 19th century compound in the early 90s but the move was postponed due to bureaucratic obstacles and the deformation of the USSR.
    Also on Sunday, Israeli Defence Minister Ehud Barak met with former German Foreign Minister Yoshke Fischer. Fischer is later expected to attend an Israeli Foreign Ministry's conference for Policy and Strategy.
    Israeli Foreign Minister and Prime Minister Designate Tzipi Livni is expected to open the conference, where French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner, along with other diplomats from around the world is expected to deliver a speech.
    On Saturday, Koucher met Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Prime Minister Salam Fayyad in the West Bank, where he said he feared the world may forget the Middle East peace process while distracted by U.S.
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