UN head and Russian FM talk Syria, Israel

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon assured Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov that the organisation would do everything to support direct talks between Israel and Palestine which resumed in July. Secretary-General said that “he was encouraged by resumption of direct negotiations in the Middle East Peace Process and added that United Nations would do its everything it can to support it," the UN head’s spokesman Martin Nesirky said after the meeting. Direct talks between Israel and Palestine with mediation by the United States resumed in Washington in late July after an almost three-year break. The Israeli delegation was headed by Justice Minister Tzipi Livni and prime minister’s special envoy Isaac Molho;Palestian side was represented by chief peace negotiator Saeb Erekat and member of the Fatah Central Committee Mohammed Shtayyeh. The parties agreed to hold peace talks which will continue for at least nine months. The U.S. State Department reported on Wednesday that the next round of the negotiations will take place in Jerusalem on August 14. Another discussion topic was the Syrian situation. The world community should focus on finding a political solution to the crisis in Syria, said Ban Ki-moon. “The Secretary-General emphasized the need to find a political solution to the conflict and to urgently resume effors to hold the Geneva Conference on Syria,” Secretary-General spokesman Martin Nesirky said. Russian foreign minister on Thursday evening had a working dinner with Ban Ki-moon. According to Nesirky, at the meeting the parties discussed the “escalating humanitarian crisis” and “the rise in sectarian violence” in Syria. In addition, the sides touched upon the Palestinian-Israeli settlement and the situation in Afghanistan