Israel says it opposes Russian plans for Moscow peace summit

        Israel said Thursday it is opposed to Russian plans to stage a Middle East peace conference in Moscow within the coming months as a follow-up to the recent Annapolis summit. In explaining their reservations, government officials in Jerusalem cite the need to focus on bilateral talks with the Palestinians "and not be dragged onto a slippery slope of opening negotiations on other issues like Syria and Lebanon during the present time." Nonetheless, senior Israeli officials acknowledge that Jerusalem would be compelled to take part in the conference should the event take place. Using diplomatic backchannels, Israel urged participants of the Quartet's Paris donors conference earlier this week to omit any mention of a Moscow peace summit from the final statement. The United States, the United Nations, and the European Union acquiesced to Jerusalem's demand, and the matter was not included on the agenda. Government officials say Israel is perturbed by Russia's behavior, chiefly Moscow's delivery of nuclear fuel to the Iranian reactor in Bushehr.(14,24)