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The UN Security Council should visit the Middle East in a bid to unblock the peace process and assess turmoil in Egypt and other countries, Russia’s ambassador said Tuesday.
The 15 envoys should visit Gaza, Israel, Syria, Egypt and Lebanon, Russia’s envoy Vitaly Churkin told reporters.
Churkin said there has been no Security Council mission to the Middle East since 1979. “We think that this is not right, that for so many years the Security Council members as a body have not been to the Middle East.”
“We are making this proposal now because we are concerned about the situation in the Middle East. As we all know the efforts to restart the Israeli-Palestinian talks are at an impasse and the situation in the region is quite fragile,” Churkin said.
“It is fraught with further possible complications.”
The Russian ambassador said council envoys were discussing details of a possible trip but that no date had been agreed. “Some concerns” had been raised but there have been “no point blank objections,” Churkin said.