Russia stresses Madrid Middle East peace conference's formula

Spokesman for the Russian Foreign Ministry said that Russian Foreign Minister Yevgeny Primakov has discussed with the Israeli Minister of Trade and Industry Natan Sharansky in Moscow on Wednesday the situation in the Middle East peace process.

The spokesman quoted Primakov's statement as saying that Russia, being one of the Middle East peace process cosponsors, calls persistently on the Israelis and Palestinians to exert the efforts necessary to eliminate the current impasse and resume constructive dialogue concerning all urgent matters.

The spokesman added that the Russian side noted the need to revive the situation concerning the Israeli-Syrian and Israeli-Lebanese negotiations on the grounds of the Madrid conference formula and already-achieved progress.

Meanwhile Qatar's ambassador to Lebanon, Muhammad Ali al-Nueimi, voiced his country's support for the cohesion of the Lebanese and Syrian tracks and liberating their territories from Israeli occupation.

In a statement he released on the occasion of his country's national day, al-Nueimi asserted the need to find a peaceful solution to the Middle East question on the basis of the Madrid conference and the land for peace formula. He indicated that Qatar calls for progress on all stumbled peace tracks.