India, Russia, China urge restraint in Middle East

Beijing, Feb 2 (IANS/TASS) Foreign ministers of India, Russia and China Monday urged Israel and Palestine to show restraint to prevent the situation in the Middle East from worsening.

"The ministers discussed settlement of the conflict between Israel and Palestine. They stressed that further escalation may affect both the peace process and the general situation in the Middle East," said a joint statement issued here after a meeting between India's External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, Russia's Sergey Lavrov and China's Wang Yi.

The ministers called on Israel and Palestine "to exercise restraint". They urged the international community, including the Quartet of Middle East peace mediators, to continue efforts to settle the conflict, the statement said, adding that international community was also expected to help facilitate the humanitarian situation in Palestine.

The ministers supported the settlement on the basis of relevant United Nations resolutions and the Arab Peace Initiative aimed at creating a sovereign, viable and independent Palestinian State with East Jerusalem as its capital, living side by side in peace and security with Israel, according to the statement.

--IANS/TASS

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