(RIA Novosti) - A deputy Russian foreign minister arrived in Israel Monday to hold talks as part of a Middle East tour in an effort to end the conflicts in Lebanon and the Palestinian Authority.
Alexander Saltanov held talks in Jordan and Syria last week and was expected to visit Lebanon Friday, but that trip was cancelled, reports Trend.
As the violence in the Middle East continues, the foreign ministers of France, Philippe Douste-Blazy, Germany Frank-Walter Steinmeier, and British Foreign Office minister Kim Howells held separate talks with Israeli officials Sunday. U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is expected to arrive in Israel Tuesday.
More than 350 people are thought to have died in Lebanon since Israel launched military action in July after Islamic militant group Hizbollah captured two Israeli servicemen in a cross-border raid. Another 600,000 people have fled the fighting. Over 30 Israelis have also lost their lives.