Middle East peace process in "deep and worrying impasse" - UN

Haile Menkerios told the Security Council that with no Israeli-Palestinian negotiations underway, no agreed terms of reference for such talks, and Israel's refusal to freeze settlements posing a key challenge, "immediate actions" should be made to prevent the failure of the peace efforts.

"It is vital at this juncture that the international community takes a clear and united position," he was quoted as saying by the official UN website.

"This is a loud and clear wake-up call. If we cannot move decisively forward to a final status agreement, we risk sliding backwards, with both the Palestinian Authority and the two-State solution itself imperiled," Menkerios went on.

He said he was also worried by the possible withdrawal of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas from the January 24, 2010 elections; Kazinform cites RIA Novosti.

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