Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said the United States is unable to help reach a lasting peace settlement for the Arab-Israeli conflict alone.
In a press conference on Friday, Lavrov recalled that the US administration has been working on a “deal of the century” since the beginning of Donald Trump’s presidency, but so far has failed to present any of its details.
“It should be clear that even the US won’t be able to negotiate a [peace] agreement alone and thus it’s crucial to return to group formats, to a Middle East Quartet working in close cooperation with the Arab league”, Lavrov said.
The Russian foreign minister expressed concern about attempts to undermine the international legal basis for Arab-Israeli peace negotiations. He added that even obligatory decisions by the UN are being affected by these attempts.
Lavrov also reiterated Moscow’s previous offers to host a meeting between Israeli and Palestinian leaders to continue negotiating a lasting peace agreement. He noted that both sides have nothing against holding such a meeting.
“[President of Palestine Authority] Mahmoud Abbas announced on multiple occasions that he is ready for such a meeting without any preconditions. Israel does not refute the possibility of such a meeting, but it is not ready to negotiate a date”, he said.
The Russian foreign minister noted meanwhile, that a lack of unity among Palestinians could hinder attempts to hold such a meeting, while a unified position on the matter of peace between Palestinians and Israelis would only help in organising it.
On the other hand, the top Russian diplomat, slammed the tendency to look at all Middle East problems “through the prism of Iran”, adding that such an approach is typical of the US and its allies. According to Lavrov such a tendency creates a potentially explosive situation within the Arab world between Shiites and Sunnis.
Source: Sputnik
