Lavrov to discuss situation around Mideast settlement with head of Palestinian delegation

MOSCOW, December 22. /TASS/. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov will on Monday hold a meeting with head of the Palestinian delegation at the Middle East talks Saeb Erekat. The meeting between Lavrov and Erekat will be held against the backdrop of submission to the UN Security Council by Jordan of a draft resolution that gives 12 months to the comprehensive settlement of the Palestino-Israeli conflict, which should result in the establishment of a sovereign and vital state of Palestine. The document also says that all Israeli forces should leave occupied territories not later than in 2017. Answering on Friday a question on Russia’s position regarding the document, Lavrov said: “For us, there’s no question from the viewpoint of recognizing the Palestinian statehood proposed in the UN Security Council draft resolution.” “There’s a question on how the peace process will develop in the future. We are currently holding intensive contacts with both Palestinians and participants of the Quartet of international mediators to understand how all this situation may affect efforts to get the peace process out of the deadlock it was driven to this year,” he said. The US said it would not back the draft resolution. Israel’s attitude toward the resolution was negative. Meanwhile, Erekat said that if the document is not adopted, the State of Palestine will file documents to join the International Criminal Court. Read more