Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived in Israel Wednesday evening for a visit which was unprecedented by a Kremlin leader.

Israeli government sources said the visit is important by virtue of it taking place and is part of a broader swing through the region.

Putin flew in from Cairo where he had earlier announced plans for a Middle East peace conference in Moscow in autumn.

"I am suggesting that we should convene a conference for all these countries concerned (with the peace process) and the Quartet next autumn," Putin said at a joint press conference with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak.

The Quartet which drafted the roadmap for Mideast peace groups Russia, the United States, the European Union and the United Nations.

Putin said the Quartet foreign ministers will meet in Moscow on May 8 to discuss the development of the peace process but did not say at what level he was proposing the autumn conference.

Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Mark Regev said Israel will not object an international conference held under the terms of the roadmap but indicated much needs to be done first.

"Israel has accepted the roadmap, and in the second stage of the roadmap it specifically mentions a conference," Regev said. "So we don't have a problem with a conference ... but obviously we have not reached the second stage of the roadmap yet."

Chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat on Wednesday welcomed Putin's offer. He noted the conference will help push for a final peace deal as it comes after the completion of Israel's planned withdrawal from the Gaza Strip.

Putin was expected to hold talks with Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and President Moshe Katsav on Thursday before heading to the West Bank town of Ramallah for a meeting on Friday with Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas.

The top issues on the agenda of Putin-Sharon meeting will likely be Putin's position on Iran's nuclear ambitions and the Russian sale of anti-aircraft missiles to Syria.

Other topics include anti-Semitism in Russia, an issue on which Putin has demonstrated sensitivity to Israeli concerns.

(Xinhua News Agency April 28, 2005)