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Russia’s UN envoy doubts new US Middle East peace plan is viable

Any peace plan that fails to recognize these internationally agreed parameters is doomed, the diplomat believes

UNITED NATIONS, December 19. /TASS/. Russia has not received the new US plan to broker peace between Israel and the Palestinians and doubts that it can be viable, Russia’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations Vasily Nebenzya told TASS on Tuesday commenting on a statement of outgoing US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley about the new initiative.

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"We hear about it for the second year already, they regularly promise this, but these are ‘jam tomorrow’ promises. We have not seen it so far, and nobody knows when we will see it," Nebenzya said. The diplomat stressed that "no plan will be viable if the internationally recognized basis for the Middle East settlement is not taken into account and it is crucial to rely on a two-state solution."

Ambassadors to the UN from eight European Union member-states also issued a statement, warning Washington that this initiative could be a failure. "We, the European Union members of the Council, would like to reiterate once more and emphasize the EU’s strong continued commitment to the internationally agreed parameters for a just and lasting peace in the Middle East, based on international law, relevant UN resolutions and previous agreements," said the joint statement by Belgium, Britain, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland and Sweden.

"Any peace plan that fails to recognize these internationally agreed parameters would risk being condemned to failure," the statement said.

On Tuesday, Outgoing US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley told the UN Security Council that the new US Middle East peace plan was ready. According to her, this document "contains much more thoughtful detail" and "recognizes that realities on the ground in the Middle East have changed in powerful and important ways.".

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