Jordanian King Abdullah II and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev held talks in Moscow on Thursday aimed at finding ways to bring peace between Israel and the Palestinians to the Middle East.

Russia, a member of the international quartet for peace in the Middle East that includes the European Union, the United Nations and the US, has long been keen to play up its importance as a player in the region.

"Our countries have a rather large role to play in resolving a range of regional problems. I would like to compare our positions on the problems of the Middle East," Medvedev told the king.

The meeting came after Israel approved construction of 1,600 new housing units in Ramat Shlomo—a Jewish settlement in the mainly Arab East Jerusalem—a move condemned by the Russian foreign ministry as unacceptable.

"We look forward to Russia's continuous support in bringing the Israelis and Palestinians together, especially in a light of the setback we have seen with the issue of settlements," said King Abdullah.

A Kremlin source said ahead of the talks that Jordan was interested in buying Russian air defense systems, anti-tank missile complexes, armored vehicles, Ka-52 helicopters and guns.

Russia is to host a meeting of the Middle East quartet on March 19 in Moscow, expected to be attended by US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

-AFP/NOW Lebanon