MOSCOW, April 21 (Xinhua) -- Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday said it is important to maintain close contacts with Israel amid the unstable situation in the Middle East.
Putin met with visiting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday. A statement from the Kremlin said Putin and Netanyahu exchanged views on key issues on bilateral cooperation, particularly in the field of security, as well as urgent regional and global issues including the Palestinian-Israeli peace process and the Syrian crisis.
Netanyahu's visit came days after Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas visited Russia.
The Russian president said when meeting with Netanyahu that there are reasons for maintaining close contacts with Israel "taking into consideration the uneasy situation in the region."
Netanyahu said he came to Russia "with one particular main purpose: to strengthen the coordination between us in the field of security, in order to prevent all sorts of mistakes and misunderstandings."
The Israeli prime minister said his country was doing everything in its power to prevent the transfer of "super modern weapons" from Syria and Iraq to the Hezbollah militant organization in Lebanon.
He also insisted that "the Golan Heights (territories in northern Israel the country occupied from Syria in the 1967 War) will remain part of the sovereign territory of Israel with or without an agreement."
Netanyahu also vowed to prevent the appearance of "another terrorist front" directed against Israel in the Golan Heights.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said during a briefing earlier that Russia maintained its position on the Golan Heights based on a United Nations (UN) Security Council resolution, which stipulated inadmissibility of the acquisition of a territory by war and the necessity to find a solution terminating its occupation through talks.
On Monday, Putin discussed the Middle East peace process at a meeting with Abbas.
He voiced Russia's support for Palestinian efforts "aimed at the activation of all means that are necessary to establish a constructive dialogue," while Abbas urged the international community to define the principles on which the Middle East settlement could be reached and formulate a timetable for negotiations.
NAIROBI, Sept. 14 (Xinhua) -- Former Chicago marathon silver medalist Sammy Kitwara of Kenya will face a daunting task in his quest to conquer the Copenhagen half marathon on Sunday in Denmark.
Kitwara, who plots to compete at the Chicago marathon in October, will come up against defending champion Bedan Karoki and a horde of elite Kenyan athletes as they target to lower the course record of the marathon and make an attempt on the world record. Kitwara's time of 2:04:28 is the fastest he has run in the 42km distance.
"I have my focus on the Chicago marathon and Copenhagen will be a good testing ground to see where I am in my preparations. But it is important to know that winning will be critical and I have what it takes to claim the title," Kitwara said on Wednesday in Nairobi.
It will be the first time this year the two athletes will be meeting. It will also be Karoki's first race since finishing seventh in 10,000m at the Rio Olympic Games.
Karoki, who is the World Half Marathon and World Cross Country silver medallist, leads this year's strong field in pursuit of the world record of 58:23 set by the Eritrean Zersenay Tadese in Lisbon on March 21, 2010.
World Half Marathon Championships held in Copenhagen in 2014 and the 2015 Copenhagen Half Marathon in 2015 were won in record times.
Kenya's Geoffrey Kamworor won the 2014 World Half Marathon in a championship record time of 59:08 before Karoki, 26, swept to victory in Copenhagen last year in a personal best of 59.14, only 51 seconds short of the world record.
In March, Karoki won silver at the World Half Marathon in Cardiff after losing the battle to Kamworor who defended his title.
"I have put behind the Olympics woes having fully recovered from a hamstring injury that impeded a good performance in Rio," said Karoki, who is based in Japan.
Other Kenyans tipped to challenge Karoki for the title are Stephen Kosgei (58.54), James Wangari (59.12), Leonard Komon (59.14), Sammy Kitwara (59.47) and Matthew Kisorio (59.52).
Kenyan-born Abraham Cheroben of Bahrain and Ethiopians Yigrem Demelash, Mosinet Geremew and Berhanu Legesse will be eying to halt the Kenyan dominance in the race.
Demelash, who finished fourth in the Olympic 10,000m in Rio, tried the half marathon out for the first time in Milan and finished second by five seconds behind Wangari in 59.49 minutes.
Kenya's Gladys Chesir, who finished sixth at the 2016 World Half Marathon, leads the women's elite field with a personal best of 66.57.
Kenya's Purity Rionoripo won last year's race in 1:08:29 beating Ethiopian Sutume Asefa (1:08:47) and fellow Kenyan Lucy Kabuu (1:08:51).
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ROME
Real Jordan Shoes For Sale , Oct. 18 (Xinhua) -- Following are the standings of Italian first-division soccer league after matches on Saturday (tabulated under games played, won
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2 Roma 7 6 0 1.