Lavrov sees progress in plans of convening conference on Middle East WMD free zone

KHARTOUM, December 3. /TASS/. A conference on creating the Middle East nuclear weapon free zone could be convened in the near future as signs of compromise are emerging, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Wednesday. “The stances of the sides on preparing for this important event have certain nuances, but compromises are taking shape that could allow to announce that the event will be convened in the near future without any damage to the primary positions,” Lavrov told a forum in Sudan on the strategic dialogue between Russia and the Arab League. Russia’s top diplomat said he hopes “our experts will continue this work and we will reach a particular agreement.” Lavrov said Russia is also concerned by the current “deadlock” in the effort to resolve the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. “We know about the plans to discuss this issue as part of the the UN Security Council. We are convinced that such a discussion is long overdue,” he said. “We believe that it should be used to the maximum extent to confirm those goals that were set by the international community in the Palestinian-Israeli peace process and resume negotiations,” Lavrov said. Plans to hold a forum that would lay the groundwork for the possible creation of a Middle East WMD free zone were agreed in 2010. However, the United States later delayed the meeting. No new date for the event has been announced. Read more