Russia making efforts towards Mideast settlement - Putin

MOSCOW. Nov 8 (Interfax) - Russia is making efforts and keeps in touch with parties to the Middle Eastern conflict in order to find ways to resolve it, Russian President Vladimir Putin said.

"It is necessary to look for ways to find mutually acceptable solutions. The question is: do they exist at all, is this possible? I think yes, it is possible, odd as it may seem. And we even have our own considerations on this matter. We are trying to talk to all parties to this conflict, trying to feel for what might be acceptable for all. And on the whole, a light may appear at the end of the tunnel there," Putin said in reply to questions from attendees of a Valdai Club plenary session on Thursday.

Russia maintains "constant contact literally with all [parties to the conflict], if not every day, then every week," he said.

"Let's try to follow this path. I am very afraid of ruining at least some of those efforts we are now making," Putin said, adding that Russia was not alone involved in this process.

"What is needed now is to strive to minimize, to reduce the sufferings of Palestinian people to zero," he said.

"The main thing now is to stop hostilities, immediately," he said.

The same applies to the situation in southern Lebanon, he said. "Things should not be allowed to get to a tragic point there, it is necessary to look for ways of finding mutually acceptable solutions," Putin said.