S. Korea notes Middle East peace efforts by U.S.

SEOUL, Jan. 30 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's foreign ministry took note of the United States' efforts for peace in the Middle East on Thursday, after U.S. President Donald Trump unveiled a long-awaited peace plan for the volatile region earlier this week.

"Our government takes note of the efforts by the international community, including the United States, for the settlement of peace in the Middle East," Kim In-chul, the spokesman for the ministry, said in a statement.

"We expect that the issue between Israel and Palestine will be peacefully resolved through dialogue and a compromise among the concerned parties based on a two-state solution," he added.

On Tuesday, Trump announced the plan under which Israel would control Jerusalem as its "undivided" capital and annex West Bank settlements.

The plan also held out the possibility of statehood for Palestinians and a US$50 billion investment scheme, but they criticized it as heavily favoring Israel.

sshluck@yna.co.kr
(END)