Geneva Agreement not to repeat road map fate

The Geneva Agreement has demonstrated that Palestinians and Israelis are capable of finding mutually acceptable solutions of difficult problems and can look for a reasonable alternative to confrontation, Russian Foreign Ministry's spokesman Alexander Yakovenko said.

"Moscow believes that the presentation of the Geneva Agreement will help overcome the present deadlock in the Palestinian-Israeli settlement," he said. The diplomat expressed hope that this agreement would help in restoring mutual trust and moving on to reaching a historic compromise between Palestinians and Israelis. As a result of such a compromise, both states - Israel aid Palestine - could coexist in peace and security, Yakovenko noted.

Unofficial representatives of Israel and Palestine conducted on December 1 in Geneva a presentation of the symbolic plan of a peaceful settlement in the Middle East. The main initiators of the agreement were Yossi Beilin, a representative of Israeli left-wing opposition, and Palestinian ex-minister Yasir Abd Rabo.

According to their settlement plan, Palestinians are to receive practically the whole of the territory occupied by Israel in 1967, including the eastern part of Jerusalem.

A letter in support for the Geneva Agreement has been signed by 58 former presidents and political leaders in various countries.