Russia-US Accord Needed to Solve Any Int'l Issue - Israel

Consensus between the United States and Russia, a key player in global affairs, is necessary to solve any pressing international issue, including such acute crises as the one currently transpiring in Syria, Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman said in an interview with Russia's Kommersant newspaper.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Lieberman believes that a Russia-US dialogue may lead to the development of a mechanism that will help settle the Syrian crisis or at least stop the hostilities.

"[Israel considers that Russia] plays one of the leading roles and not only in the Middle East. Russia is a superpower and it is necessary to reach agreement between Russia and the United States in order to solve any issue… All other states play secondary roles," Lieberman said Wednesday.

The minister drew attention to the fact that Russia-US cooperation led to the removal of a "huge part" of chemical weapons from Syria, as well as the implementation of the agreement on establishing de-escalation zones in Syria.

Immediately after the meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and his counterpart Donald Trump on July 7, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that the experts from Russia, the United States and Jordan had agreed on a memorandum on the establishment of a de-escalation zone. It covers Daraa, Quneitra and As-Suwayda provinces in southwestern Syria.