Middle East draft resolution awaits UN backing

13 Dec, 2008 23:41 / Updated 15 years ago

Russia says the draft resolution on the Middle East which Moscow and Washington submitted to the UN Security Council has had a good response.

The resolution aims to encourage the successful implementation of a two-state solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. However, the talks between the two sides have been hindered by violence and disputes over Jewish settlements in the West Bank. The council will vote on the document on Tuesday. Commenting on the resolution, Vitaly Churkin, Russia's Ambassador to the UN has called it the culmination of joint efforts by Moscow and Washington, and said he hopes the council will give its full backing to it. “The draft resolution we have presented today provides good grounds to solidify the efforts of the past few months and to make sure that there is an opportunity to move further. We hope that the resolution can be adopted unanimously on Tuesday. I think we have had a very good initial response from our colleagues in the Security Council, and we’ve heard their appreciation of the joint work by the United States and Russia on this initiative,” said Churkin.