It is necessary to hold multilateral talks on the Middle East settlement and the Quartet of international mediators (Russia, United Nations, US, EU) could take up that responsibility, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told the Italian La Stampa daily
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 17th February, 2020) It is necessary to hold multilateral talks on the Middle East settlement and the Quartet of international mediators (Russia, United Nations, US, EU) could take up that responsibility, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told the Italian La Stampa daily.
"We are convinced that for a real advance towards a just two-state settlement of the Palestinian issue, first of all, genuine efforts of the Palestinians and Israelis themselves are necessary, and second, the most balanced and unbiased international support of the process is needed. In this context, we support the position reflected in the final statement of the last meeting of the foreign ministers of the Arab League member-states on the need for multilateral negotiations on the Middle East settlement under international auspices," Lavrov said.
"We believe that the quartet of international mediators, which is the only mechanism recognized by the UN Security Council to accompany the Middle East process, could take on this role," the minister added.
According to Lavrov, Russia, as one of the Quartet members, is ready to help Israelis and Palestinians reach compromise.
"In contacts with both Palestinians and Israelis, we will continue to persistently urge both sides to take a constructive approach in the interests of agreeing on negotiated solutions to all the existing problems," Lavrov told La Stampa.
Last month, US President Donald Trump presented his Middle East peace plan that envisioned Israel annexing the settlements in the West Bank and the Jordan Valley, and maintaining Jerusalem as its undivided capital. The plan was rejected by Palestinian leaders.
EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell has criticized Washington's new settlement proposal saying that it runs contrary to international law and UN Security Council resolutions.
