Russia calls for international conference on Middle East peace

Russia on Tuesday called for an international conference on the Middle East peace process that would include countries in the region.

"An international conference on the Middle East will be necessary for the international community," Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said after talks with Arab League Secretary General Amr Moussa in Moscow, the Itar-Tass news agency reported.

"We confirmed at the Quartet meeting in Washington the need for cooperation with Arab countries, including Egypt, Jordan and Saudi Arabia, as well as the need for participation of representatives of the conflicting sides in Quartet meetings," he said.

Russia is a member of the Quartet of international mediators, which also includes the United States, the United Nations and the European Union. German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said on Friday the Quartet will meet again soon in Berlin to promote the Middle East peace process.

Moussa, for his part, said both sides "stated the proximity of positions on all questions under discussion, including the Arab- Israeli conflict, whose settlement should be of an all-embracing nature."

He stressed the need to "pool efforts on calling an international conference on the Middle East."

"We spoke of the important role of the UN in preparing this conference as well as of the role of Russia and the United States," Moussa said.

Source: Xinhua