Russia is ready to organize direct Palestinian-Israeli talks to de-escalaterising tensions between the two sides, Russian foreign minister said onMonday.
Addressing a news conference in Moscow after a meeting with his SierraLeone counterpart David John Francis, Sergey Lavrov called on the Israelisand Palestinians to stop fighting.
“In order for direct negotiations — and only through them can we agree onthe creation of a Palestinian state that will live in peace and security,in accordance with the decisions of the UN Security Council, side by sidewith Israel and other countries in the region, — in order for suchnegotiations to begin, it is necessary to stop violence on all sides,” hesaid.
Lavrov recalled that UN resolutions on the Palestinian problem provide forthe two-state solution to the Palestinian problem, the status quo ofJerusalem’s holy places, and strictly prohibit illegal Israeli activities.
“We condemn attacks from both sides, targeting residential areas. Strikesagainst civilian targets are unacceptable,” Lavrov said.
The minister also condemned the Israeli settlement activities, saying: “Itis taking such extreme forms as throwing people out on the street”.
“We believe that the international community must not be indifferent towhat is happening. There is the quartet [on the Middle East] ofinternational mediators who are directly obliged to contribute to thesolution of the Palestinian question,” he said.
Read Top Stories
The minister added that the UN Security Council “sent all necessarysignals” after Sunday’s meeting, and that “now everything depends on theparties’ ability to negotiate and their goodwill.”
“We will help them find agreements both to calm the current very hot phaseof the conflict and to start negotiations as soon as possible,” he said.
Francis said Sierra Leone considers that “a reliable and lasting peace” tothe Palestinian problem is only possible through political negotiations andthe establishment of two states.
“It should be two states — Israel and Palestine — that live side by sidein peace and security, that is our position,” he said.
