Putin talks with Israel's Olmert over UN Lebanon resolution

Russian President Vladimir Putin told Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert on Saturday the unanimous approval of the UN resolution on the conflict in Lebanon represented "a good chance" of finding a political settlement to the confrontation.

The UN Security Council unanimously adopted a resolution on Friday, calling for Israeli troops pullout and authorizing an increase of the existing UN force in Lebanon to 15,000 troops to help Lebanese troops take control of south Lebanon as Israel withdraws.

In a telephone conversation with Olmert, Putin said acceptance of this resolution by all 15 members of the UN Security Council " represents a good chance for finding a political settlement, the only reasonable option in the face of the escalating military and political confrontation," the Kremlin said in a statement.

The two leaders stressed the need for quick implementation of the resolutions adopted by the UN Security Council, the statement said. The call was initiated by the Israeli side, it said.

Earlier in the day, the Russian Foreign Ministry hailed the adoption of the resolution and called for the resolution to be strictly observed.

"We expect that all parties will be strictly abiding by this UN Security Council decision," the ministry said in a statement.

However, the ministry said, the root cause for the conflict was "the absence of a comprehensive settlement in the Middle East" and therefore the international community should focus on "providing conditions to resume the peace process in this region on all of its tracks."

Russia is a member of the international Quartet of peace mediators in the Middle East. The group's other members are the United Nations, the United States and the European Union.
Peoples Daily

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