The June 6 decision of the Israeli cabinet "does not intend immediate elimination of settlements now", he specified.
"Broken into several stages, the withdrawal can begin, at best, in several months to come. Implementation of each stage requires additional cabinet voting", noted the official spokesman for the Russian Foreign Ministry.
These stages "are to fit in the Roadmap, prepared by the Quartet of international intermediaries (Russia, the United States, the European Union, the United Nations) for the Middle Eastern settlement, actually lead to the end of occupation of the Arab lands and realisation of the idea of co-existence of the two states - Israel and Palestine".
"It is important that the implementation of measures provided for in the Ariel Sharon plan not become an end of the movement towards peace but instead part of the process of comprehensive settlement", Alexander Yakovenko said.
"We are convinced that a truly lasting peace can only be reached through negotiations on the international recognised base of international law - resolutions 242, 338, 1397 and 1515 of the United Nations Security Council, as well as the Madrid principles", the official spokesman for the Russian Foreign Ministry said in conclusion.
