Important Witness

US and Israeli leaders want to learn about Iran from Vladimir Putin

After the Russian president’s visit to Tehran, several heads of state immediately wanted to hear personally from Vladimir Putin what his impressions were of his conversations with Iranian leader Mahmoud Ahmadinejad . One of these days, according to Vremya Novostey, a telephone conversation on this topic may take place between Vladimir Putin and George Bush. Yesterday, the American president openly admitted to journalists who came to the White House that he was very interested in the results of the Russian-Iranian summit and he would like to learn about this not from publications and photographs, but from first-hand knowledge: “I’m interested in whether he (Putin) still has it. - Ed. ) same concerns as I have.”

Bush immediately explained what was troubling him: “We have an Iranian leader who has declared that he wants to destroy Israel.” The US President believes that the threat from Iran is so strong that it could bring the world to the brink of a new world war: “If you want to avoid a third world war, then you must prevent (the Iranians - Ed. ) from gaining knowledge to develop nuclear weapons" .

Vladimir Putin, who until now believed that Tehran does not pose such a serious threat to the world, will tell another leader about his fresh impressions. This afternoon, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert arrives in the Russian capital on an unexpected working visit. As the press attache of the Israeli embassy in Moscow, Alex Goldman-Shaiman, told Vremya Novostei, the visit will last less than one day - immediately after the meeting with Putin, the Israeli prime minister will fly back.

The trip, which was announced to journalists only yesterday, was prepared at an accelerated pace. The diplomats preparing the visit, according to our information, found out the exact date only two days in advance, but usually trips of this kind take months to prepare. However, the date was agreed upon even before Putin left for Tehran. An agreement in principle about the meeting was reached during a telephone conversation between Putin and Olmert on October 10 .

The composition of the Israeli delegation is small: along with the prime minister, as his press service reported, “only a few people are going to Moscow, among whom there will not be a single journalist.” Contrary to custom, the Israelis will not stay in a hotel, but in a government mansion specially provided to them. There are no plans to hold press conferences.

Israelis are concerned about two main issues. One is Iran's nuclear program. Just yesterday, Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni spoke in favor of tightening international sanctions against Iran and the adoption of a corresponding resolution by the UN Security Council.

The second problem is the fate of two Israeli soldiers held captive by the radical Shiite group Hezbollah in Lebanon. On Tuesday evening, Hezbollah leader Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah said that "there is significant progress in negotiations for the release of Israeli soldiers and Lebanese prisoners." He meant that the Israelis Ehud Goldwasser and Eldad Regev, captured in July 2006 on the Israeli-Lebanese border (after which war broke out), are planned to be exchanged for Arab militants imprisoned in Israeli prisons.

Iran has great influence on the Lebanese Hezbollah, and Russia, which maintains ties with both Tehran and the group itself , has long promised the Israelis assistance in this matter. Our newspaper knows from reliable sources that Vladimir Putin promised Ehud Olmert to do everything possible to free these soldiers, as well as the Israeli corporal Gilad Shalit (he has been held captive by the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip for more than a year). The Russian president made this promise during his previous meeting with the Israeli prime minister in Moscow exactly a year ago - October 18, 2006.

“The Russian president is pursuing a balanced policy. It demonstrates that the friendship between Russia and Iran is not directed against Israel, but rather is designed to resist US pressure. Therefore, after his visit to Tehran, Putin is taking steps that emphasize the good state of Russian-Israeli relations,” the head of the Israeli Institute of Eurasian Studies in Herzliya, former head of the Bureau of Relations with Jews of the Former USSR and Eastern Europe (Nativ) told Vremya Novostei yesterday. ) Mr. Zvi Magen.

A demonstration of the growth of mutual trust can also be the planned abolition of the visa regime between Russia and Israel, which Putin and Olmert will certainly mention today at the negotiations. They will also discuss the progress of preparations for an international conference on the Middle East , which is scheduled to take place at the end of November or beginning of December in the American city of Annapolis, located near Washington.

Elena SUPONINA, Maria GRISHINA, Jerusalem