A prominent Soviet diplomat stationed in Israel declared in a public lecture here that the “Tashkent spirit” could exert a most important influence on Arab-Israeli relations and possibly bring about a solution to the Middle East deadlock.
The comment by Ivan Dadiole, First Counsellor in the Soviet Embassy, was the first recorded Soviet hint that Russia might want to influence the Middle East conflict in the direction of a peaceful solution. The Embassy official stressed the role the Soviet Union has had in solving past conflicts and hinted broadly that this effort could apply also in the Middle East.
Foreign Ministry officials were studying the diplomat’s remarks which were described as “interesting” but they added they were not ready to comment officially.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
