MOSCOW, July 21 (AFP) - Russia said Wednesday that it was happy with the "constructive and balanced" condemnation by the UN General Assembly of Israel's West Bank barrier.
Russia voted for the non-binding resolution approved Monday by 150 nations -- with six, including the United States, voting against -- and said the tract would help restart the Middle East peace process.
"Russia has repeatedly stated that both Israel and the Palestinians have to avert unilateral steps" in trying to resolve the conflict, adding the resolution gave "a strong signal to both sides" to resume talks.
However, Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said later that Moscow did not even want to vote on the resolution because Russia's opposition to Israel's wall was well known.
"To be honest, we did not -- and do not -- see any need for further discussion of this issue by the United Nations," Interfax quoted Lavrov as saying.
Israel had already said that it had no intention of respecting the non-binding verdict by the International Court of Justice which ruled that the barrier flouted international law, arguing that it was vital to defend the Jewish state against Palestinian suicide attacks.
The Palestinians say the barrier's route, often jutting deep into the West Bank, shows the real intent is to preempt the borders of a future Palestinian state.
Russia is part of an international quartet that has been pushing a so-called "road map" to bring peace to the Middle East under which a Palestinian state would be created within three years.
Moscow has recently improved relations with Israel after siding with the Arab world during the Soviet era.