On November 19 the United Nations Security Council unanimously adopted Russian-initiated Resolution 1515 expressing support for this document and containing a call upon the parties to implement its provisions in cooperation with the Quartet of International Mediators (Russia, the US, EU and UN). It was co-sponsored by France, Britain, Germany, China, Spain, Chile, Mexico, Bulgaria and Guinea.

This UN Security Council decision is a logical development of the consistent efforts by the international community, with the UN playing an active role, to launch the process of implementation of the Road Map to settle the Israeli-Palestinian conflict - a currently unalternative document by which the parties have assumed concrete obligations. A further delay in the implementation of the Road Map may lead to the point where the situation both in Israel and in the Palestinian territories as well as in the entire Middle East will get out of control. This would be fraught with very grave consequences not only for the region, but also for international security as a whole.

It is important that the elaboration of this resolution has helped to strengthen the unity in approaches of the Security Council members towards the basis issues of assistance to the peace process in the Middle East and will contribute to enhancing the effectiveness of the UN contribution to international efforts in this sector.

We expect that this UNSC decision also will give some additional political weight to this peace plan and increase chances of getting it implemented. Russia will continue to assist comprehensively this process, aimed at achieving a definitive settlement of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict on the basis of the coexistence of two states, Israel and Palestine, living in peace and security.