MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 20th November, 2020) Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Friday held a phone conversation with his Algerian counterpart, Sabri Boukadoum, during which the parties discussed the developments in Western Sahara, the Libyan settlement and the Israeli-Palestinian negotiations, the Russian Foreign Ministry has said.
"In regard with the escalation of the situation in Western Sahara, Sergey Lavrov stressed the importance of the conflicting parties to exercise restraint, observe the ceasefire and return to the negotiation process under the UN auspices to reach a sustainable settlement of this long-standing conflict based on fundamental principles and norms of international law, including the relevant UN and the Security Council resolutions," the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
During the phone talks, the two top diplomats exchanged views on the developments related to the settlement in war-torn Libya and highlighted the need to help create the conditions for the nation to achieve broad-based agreements on restoring statehood and national harmony on ways of furthering the country's development.
According to the ministry, both sides agreed to accelerate efforts of the global community to resume "the direct Israeli-Palestinian negotiations in the interest of advancing the middle East settlement on universally recognized international legal standards."
Lavrov and Boukadoum also held talks on key issues of the bilateral agenda and steps to enhance foreign policy coordination.
Last week, Morocco launched an operation against the Polisario Front in the buffer zone of Guerguerat in the Moroccan Sahara. Rabat says that it had no choice but to do it after the movement, which backs the independence of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic, invaded the Morocco-controlled territories of Western Sahara in October, blocking passenger and cargo traffic across the border with Mauritania. Polisario, in turn, accused Rabat of violating the 1991 ceasefire and initiating a war.
Libya has been divided between two centers of power since the overthrow and assassination of the country's long-time leader Muammar Gaddafi in 2011. The Government of National Accord and the Libyan National Army (LNA) control the country's west and east, respectively. The eastern-based parliament � the House of Representatives � is aligned with the LNA.
