Liu: Dialogue key to Middle East peace process

Dialogue and negotiation are the keys to solving the Palestine issue, Liu Jieyi, China's ambassador to the United Nations, said on Tuesday.

It's urgent that Palestine and Israel exercise restraint and take concrete action to resume negotiations as soon as possible, Liu said at a UN Security Council regular meeting on the situation in the Middle East.

An independent Palestinian state and peaceful coexistence with Israel was the correct direction for international efforts to take, he said.

Nickolay Mladenov, special coordinator for the Middle East peace process, said that achieving a negotiated two-state outcome was the only way to lay the foundation for an enduring peace based on Israeli security needs and the Palestinian right to statehood and sovereignty.

"Now is not the time to give up on this goal," said Mladenov, via video teleconference from Jerusalem.

He said that it was pertinent to create the conditions for a return to negotiations to resolve all final status issues on the basis of relevant UN resolutions, mutual agreements and international law.

Liu said implementation of UN Resolution 2334 (2016) would demonstrate sincerity to resume talks; violence against innocent civilians must be stopped; and Israel's building of settlements halted.

Synergies built by the international community create an indispensable condition to help solve the issue, said Liu, adding that the leading role of the UN needs to be brought into full play.

Liu said China firmly supports the just cause of the Palestinian people, mentioning a recent visit to the Middle East by its special envoy for the region.

China is ready to work with related parties to seek a comprehensive and just solution and to achieve peace and stability in the Middle East, he added.

Mladenov said the international community had made continuing efforts to advance peace, citing an announcement by the League of Arab States in which its members committed to relaunching serious peace talks, as well as US President Donald Trump's recent visit to the region.

Trump said during the visit that resolving the conflict was critical to combating the threat of violent extremism and terrorism.