AL urges more UN, less US in Mideast peace process

Arab League (AL) chief Amr Moussa calls on the United Nations to assume a greater role in the Middle East peace process, saying Washington should not be the only mediator.

"The United Nations role, which was marginalized at a certain stage with regards to the Arab-Israeli struggle, should be brought back," Moussa said in a Tuesday interview with Reuters.

The senior Arab leader did not directly criticize the policies of the United States, traditionally deemed as Israel's closest ally in the region, but suggested Washington's mediation must be objective.

"There should be a change in the direction of the peace process, by having a mediator who understands the needs of the two parties, and not [just] one party," he urged.

Moussa said he trusted US president Barack Obama, whose administration has been mounting pressure on hawkish Israeli Premier Benjamin Netanyahu to tone down his stance against the Palestinians, especially in regards to the illegal West Bank settlement issue.

However, "we must maintain the American role in the framework of other roles, European and United Nations and all countries that have links to and interests in the situation in the Middle East," the former Egyptian foreign minister noted.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=115027§ionid=351020202.