国际英语新闻：Russian Middle East envoy in Beirut for peace talks

BEIRUT, Oct. 17 (Xinhua) -- Russian Vice Foreign Minister and Middle East envoy Alexander Sultanov arrived here on Saturday in an attempt to shore up support for his country's plan to host the Middle East peace talks, Lebanon's state news agency reported.

    Sultanov said that talks he held with Lebanese President Michel Suleiman and Foreign Minister Fawzi Salloukh covered regional issues and the future of the Middle East peace process.

    "We agreed to double the efforts with the concerned parties and the international community to contribute to the resumption of talks as soon as possible," Sultanov said.

    Sultanov was due to go on to Damascus before returning to Beirut. Sultanov's visit to Lebanon came as part of a regional tour that will also take him to Tel Aviv, Ramallah and Cairo.

    Sultanov also denied any Russian mediation in Lebanon's cabinet formation. He said his talks were founded on a "joint desire to strengthen the bilateral relationship and to improve it in all aspects."

    Lebanon's Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri has been struggling for over four months to form a national unity cabinet that will include all rival blocs.

    Russia, which is trying to broker the Middle East peace talks, has offered to host a follow-up conference to the U.S.-brokered negotiations held in Annapolis, Maryland, in 2007 to re-launch peace negotiations between Israel and the Arabs.