CAIRO, Egypt (AP) -- Russian President Vladimir Putin has called for a Mideast peace conference in Moscow in the autumn, and he and his Egyptian counterpart Hosni Mubarak also ended their landmark meeting by urging the United Nations to play a larger role in Iraq.
The Russian president, leader of one of the four powers backing the "road map" plan for peace between Israel and the Palestinians, said Wednesday he would discuss the peace conference proposal with Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon during his visit to Israel, which was to begin late Wednesday.
"I am suggesting that we should convene a conference for all these countries concerned (with the Mideast peace process) and the Quartet, next autumn," Putin said in Russian during a joint press conference with Mubarak. The so-called Quartet includes Russia, the United States, the European Union and the United Nations.
Putin said foreign ministers of the quartet will meet in Moscow on May 8 to discuss the Middle East peace process. He did not say at what level he was proposing the autumn conference, saying he still needed to speak with Sharon.
After a long period in which Israel and the Palestinians blamed each other for stalling the peace process, the roadmap has been revived. Israel is expected to begin withdrawing its forces from the Gaza Strip later this year, a pullout Egypt is cooperating with to ensure stability.
The two men also discussed Iraq, where violence has been on the rise again in recent weeks.
"The United Nations should play a role in helping Iraq and in particular in rebuilding its constitutional and legislative institutions," Mubarak told reporters at the news conference.
"It should also play a role in the reconstruction of Iraq," Mubarak said.
The two spoke to reporters after Mubarak's second session of talks with Putin, whose visit to Egypt was aimed at reviving Moscow's influence in the region.
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