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REFILE-Russia sends deputy minister to Middle East

Sun Jan 4, 2009 7:11am EST
(fixes headline)

MOSCOW, Jan 4 (Reuters) - Russia has sent a senior official to the Middle East and will continue to press for a ceasefire in Gaza, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Sunday.

Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Saltanov, President Dmitry Medvedev's special envoy for the Middle East, flew to the region on Sunday, the ministry said in a statement.

"It is essential to end the suffering of the civilian population on both sides, to stop bloodshed by ensuring a bilateral ceasefire ... Russia will continue to press for this energetically," the statement said.

Israeli soldiers and Palestinian militants battled on Gaza City's outskirts on Sunday after Israeli troops and tanks invaded the coastal enclave in the worst fighting in the conflict in decades, ignoring calls for a ceasefire from foreign governments, including the United States and Russia. (Reporting by Toni Vorobyova; editing by Andrew Dobbie)

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