Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov on Tuesday said Russia, the European Union and the United States were working together as never before in promoting Middle East peace but called for even more efforts.
He spoke on a day when a Palestinian gunman wounded 16 Israelis in a rush hour shooting spree and Israeli troops killed four Palestinian militants in the West Bank.
"We call for an end to terrorist actions on the one hand and on the other hand for the use of force to be moderated," Ivanov told reporters in Madrid, where he met Spanish officials in their role as holders of the European Union presidency.
Ivanov said Russia, the EU and the United States along with the United Nations were in permanent contact with the leaders of Israel and the Palestinian Authority.
"We are going to continue with these efforts because we have no other alternative," he said. "We have to recognise we still haven't achieved great success in the Middle East."
(China Daily January 24, 2002)
