G-8 urges Israel, Palestinians to return to talks

The Group of Eight (G-8) foreign ministers urged Israel and the Palestinians to create favorable conditions in which they would be able to return to the negotiating table, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Thursday.

"We confirmed the position of the international mediators on the Middle East settlement in the wake of the recent worsening of relations between the Palestinians and the Israelis," Lavrov told a news conference following a meeting of G-8 foreign ministers.

U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said at the meeting that the G-8 foreign ministers reaffirmed the liabilities stated in the "roadmap" peace plan, including those concerning the co-existence of two independent states, Palestine and Israel.

The remarks were made after 19-year-old Israeli Corporal Gilad Shalit was seized early Sunday during a raid on a military outpost near the Gaza border, sparking the latest crisis between Israel and the Palestinians.

Earlier on Thursday, the Russian Foreign Ministry called for the immediate release of the Israeli serviceman and an end of "terrorism" acts.

The G-8 foreign ministers gathered here to prepare for the group's July summit scheduled to be held in St. Petersburg, Russia.

The G-8 consists of Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia and the United States.

Source: Xinhua