Palestine's rival political forces, president-led Fatah and ruling Islamist group Hamas, reached an agreement in principle on the structure of a new power-sharing Cabinet at Saudi-sponsored negotiations in Mecca on Thursday, in an effort to avert civil war.
Sergei Lavrov said ministers of the Quartet (Russia, the U.S., the UN and the EU) and Ban Ki-moon had discussed the issue on the phone, and agreed that the decision to form a coalition government is the right move.
"We hope the government that will be formed will meet the criteria which were formulated by the Quartet," the minister said.
According to Arab media reports, the agreement reached by preliminary deal was reached between Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Hamas leader Khaled Mashaal relates to the distribution of ministerial posts in a future national unity government, and aims to end fighting between the rival groups and restart constructive dialogue.
Russian Security Council Secretary Sergei Ivanov said the Hamas-Fatah agreement is "a result of the international community's collective efforts."
"The Mideast settlement is a key to the resolution of many regional problems, including Iraq, Lebanon and Iran," Ivanov said.
The security official highlighted the contribution of the Quartet in efforts to form the Palestinian government.
Until now, the escalating struggle for political influence between Hamas and Fatah had blocked talks on forming a unity government.
During a surge in violence between gunmen from the two factions in Gaza last week, at least 30 people lost their lives, and hundreds were injured. The conflict had escalated after an explosion in Jabalya last December that left two members of the Islamic group dead.
Hamas, still considered a terrorist organization by Israel, the U.S. and the EU, gained a majority in the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) after defeating Fatah in January 2006 polls.
Since Hamas came to power, Western nations have blocked aid to the Palestinian government, over the Islamist group's refusal to recognize Israel's right to exist, give up violence and comply with previous Palestinian-Israeli agreements seeking a solution to the long-protracted Middle East crisis.
