Russia's UN envoy: Moscow summit would energize peace process

     A Mideast conference in Moscow this summer would energize efforts to achieve a peace settlement between Israel and the Palestinians by the end of the year, Russia's UN ambassador said Monday. Vitaly Churkin told reporters that the Moscow meeting was part of a strategy agreed to by the Quartet of key Mideast players - the U.S., the UN, the European Union and Russia - at last November's meeting in Annapolis, Maryland, where the Israeli and Palestinian leaders reached an agreement to achieve a peace deal in 2008. "Certainly, the way we look at it, the meeting that we are planning to convene in Moscow ... would be serving the purpose of energizing the political efforts," Churkin told a news conference. "It's a part of our obligation we feel as a member of the Quartet, in support of the joint effort which is being spearheaded by the United States for obvious reasons." Despite the recent upsurge in violence, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas have kept on holding private talks, which many hope will be a prelude to peace and the establishment of a Palestinian state. "I think this is certainly a very worthy goal to strive at," Churkin said. "There is now an effort and a process which wasn't there a year ago. So we're all working very hard to make it a reality. If it's not now, when?" Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov recently traveled to the region to consult with various parties about the conference, and other Russian officials are also holding talks, he said. "It is our intention, and it is the intention of the Quartet to have that meeting in Moscow, and hopefully that will highlight some progress in negotiations, will give an additional impetus to the negotiations, and also create conditions when the Security Council could be more relevant," Churkin said. (09,51)