Putin set to visit Israel in April
Russian President Vladmir Putin set to arrive by end of April in bid to improve relations marred by missile deal with Syria
TEL AVIV - Russian President Vladimir Putin is scheduled to pay a historic visit to Israel in April, the first by a presiding Russian president, in a bid to iron out recent tensions between the two countries that resulted after Moscow sold advanced anti-aircraft missiles to Syria.
Putin has been invited by Israeli leaders numerous times and accepted President Moshe Katsav's invitation earlier this year. During the visit, the Russian president will meet Katzav, Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, Vice Premier Shimon Peres and Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom.
The Russian president is scheduled arrive on April 27th and will spend two days in Israel. He is expected to tour the country and meet with Russian immigrants.
This is Putin's third visit to Israel, but his first as a Russian leader. He visited the Jewish State in 1996 and 1967 in the early days of his political career.
Tensions have flared in recent months between Israeli and Russian officials after Putin approved a deal for Russia to sell anti-aircraft missiles to Syria. Israel fears they may fall into the hands of terror organizations.
Sharon even dispatched a confidential memo to Putin urging him to retract the deal, after he had assured the prime minister in the past that he would not sell missiles to Syria.
Putin, refused, arguing that the missiles were modified for launching from vehicles, and that they would be used for defense proposes only. He also argued that the missile deal had been made under explicit assurances that they would not be used by unauthorized persons.
The Igla SA-18s are among the most sophisticated shoulder-held anti-aircraft missiles, Israeli analysts say, due to their their simplicity, light weight and a built-in training system.
Anti-Semitic comments
Meanwhile, Putin had made an anti-Semitic statement while briefing reporters at the Kremlin last month.
Talking about the elections in Ukraine, he was quoted as saying "one would hope that if Viktor Yushchenko is elected to become president there would be no anti-Russians and Zionists around him."
Israel demanded clarifications and Russia dismissed the statement as a "slip of the tongue," saying that what Putin actually meant was that he hoped there would be no anti-Semites around the new president.
Diplomatic sources said that relations between the two countries are going well despite the missile deal and Russia's continued assistance to the Iranian nuclear program. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov visited Israel in November and met with Sharon. Also, several senior Israeli defense officials had visited Moscow in recent months.
