A planned meeting between an Israeli and Soviet official in London last week did not take place because the British authorities refused to allow the Russian diplomat, Vladimir Tarasov, into the country, Hadashot reported Tuesday.
Tarasov was to have met with Dr. Nimrod Novick, political adviser to Foreign Minister Shimon Peres.
The two had planned to discuss the American peace initiative in the Middle East and exchange views on the proposed international conference.
According to Hadashot, the Israeli Foreign Ministry had expected the Soviets to announce at the meeting the granting of visas to an Israeli consular delegation to visit Moscow.
A Soviet consular delegation has been in Israel since June 1987, and Moscow only recently agreed to allow a reciprocal visit by an Israeli consular team.
But the contact in London, which some thought would be a significant step toward improving Soviet-Israel relations, was thwarted because Tarasov, having been ousted from the United States recently, was not admissable to Britain.
The British and Americans have an agreement not to allow diplomats expelled from one country to enter the other.
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