The U.S. is ignoring the internationally-accepted approach to the Middle East settlement, which is not helping resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told the Italian daily La Stampa.
The United States, in its usual manner, has offered to resolve one of the most long-lasting conflicts of our time "in one go," he noted.
But they ignored the universally recognised international legal basis for a Middle East settlement, which includes resolutions of the Security Council and the UN General Assembly; and the Arab Peace Initiative, the Russian diplomat recalled.
According to the Russian foreign minister, the new US peace plan stipulates the resolution of all key issues relating to the status of Palestinian territories by means of unilateral concessions in favour of Israel.
Lavrov noted that it is necessary to hold multilateral talks to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and that a Quartet of international mediators (Russia, the United Nations, the US, and EU) could take up that responsibility.
"We are convinced that for a real advance towards a just two-state settlement of the Palestinian issue, first of all, genuine efforts by the Palestinians and Israelis themselves are necessary, and second, the most balanced and unbiased international support of the process is needed," Lavrov stressed.
