Russia hails UN Mideast resolution, urges Israel and Palestinians to resume dialogue

Russia's Foreign Ministry on Saturday hailed a UN Security Council resolution calling for an end to

hostilities between Israel and Hizbullah as a strong foundation for reaching peace, but emphasized the need to revive the stalled Middle East peace process to avoid further conflict.

The resolution's approval marked an "important first step in ending this extremely dangerous crisis," The Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement. "We expect all parties to strictly abide by this UN Security Council decision," it said. (AP)