MOSCOW, October 9. /TASS/. Moscow calls on the Palestinians and Israelis to cease fire before resolving other issues, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said.

"As for mediation efforts, first of all, the parties must cease fire. All other issues can be resolved in a normal, non-military environment," he pointed out at a press conference following talks with Arab League Secretary General Ahmed Aboul Gheit.

According to the Russian foreign minister, he is unaware of any new initiatives to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. "As for, as you said, the numerous initiatives aimed at resolving the situation in the Middle East, frankly speaking, I am unaware of any," he noted. "There have been calls for an end to the bloodshed and the start of talks," Lavrov added.

"The only possible initiative on resolving the Palestinian issue should be based on the decisions that have been made at the UN platform. This involves the peaceful, safe and good-neighborly co-existence of the two states, Israel and Palestine," the top Russian diplomat noted. "This is what we talked about today. This is our common position; it’s the only initiative that can be on the table and should be the subject of direct talks between the Palestinians and Israelis," he said.