MOSCOW, October 15 (RIA Novosti) - Russia and the United States hope for progress in the Middle East conflict resolution after the pullout of Israeli troops from Gaza, U.S. State Secretary Condoleezza Rice said after the talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov Saturday. She said they had discussed the responsibility of the Middle East quartet (the U.S., UN, European Union and Russia) for the progress in the conflict resolution.
Lavrov said they had focused on the developments in Lebanon and Syria. "We also discussed the situation in Central Asia following the state secretary's recent visit to the region and agreed to cooperate to promote stability in the region," he added.
