MOSCOW - Palestinian President Yasser Arafat is due to arrive overnight in time for talks on Tuesday in Moscow, where officials have signalled their support for new U.S. initiatives for Arab-Israeli peace.

A Russian Foreign Ministry source said Arafat, initially due on Monday evening, would arrive late at night after a meeting in Ramallah with U.S. special envoy William Burns.

Arafat will travel via Jordan, and a further delay could put off his arrival until Tuesday morning.

With the Bush administration increasing its role in Middle East peace efforts, Russian officials have been careful to say any mediation they offer would be part of a wider international effort.

"We always speak out for active dialogue between the participants of the conflict and offer cooperation in finding a solution to the crisis...through our bilateral ties and the multilateral efforts undertaken by the international community," Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov told Reuters television on Monday.

The Foreign Ministry said Arafat would meet President Vladimir Putin as well as Ivanov on Tuesday. Burns has been shuttling back and forth between Arafat and Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon since Sunday, part of the Bush administration's newly increased role in the region.

Moscow has little direct clout in the Middle East, but remains a co-sponsor along with Washington of peace talks, and is used as a foil by both sides when they seek to broaden international support. Israeli Foreign Minister Shimon Peres visited last week.

Putin said last week that the international community should make sure it maintains a united front in Middle East peace efforts, a signal Moscow would not pursue a separate course apart from the latest U.S. peace initiative.

Russia has said an Egyptian-Jordanian peace plan and a report by a commission led by former U.S. senator George Mitchell should serve as the basis for peace talks.

Both documents call for an immediate end to violence in the region, but Israel has rejected their calls for a halt to construction at its settlements in the West Bank and Gaza, saying this should be a matter for talks after violence ends.