UNITED NATIONS, Dec 7: UN Secretary General Kofi Annan on Friday applauded the unofficial Middle-East peace plan known as the Geneva Accord noting that it complemented the American-backed “road map” settlement.

Following a meeting with the Palestinian and Israeli authors of the Geneva Accord peace plan, Yasser Abed Rabo and Yossi Beilin, Mr Annan called the proposals “positive and praiseworthy” and “consistent and compatible” with the road map, according to a UN statement .

A major part of the Geneva Accord’s importance comes from the hope of future reconciliation and peace that it brings to both Israelis and Palestinians said Mr Annan, adding that the momentum needed for conflict resolution in the Middle East must come from people working together for change.

Even though the Geneva Accord is not a substitute for official negotiations between the Government of Israel and the Palestinian Authority, it has already achieved the important goal of stimulating debate among Palestinians and Israelis on the factors that must be resolved to end this long conflict Mr Annan noted in the statement.

The Road Map remains the key mechanism in moving towards the goals on which there is already broad agreement. The Geneva Accord and the Peoples’ Voice Initiative, with their proposals for a two-State solution and an end to the occupation that began in 1967, are consistent and compatible with the Quartet’s Road Map. Track-two initiatives are a positive and praiseworthy contribution to stimulate the process the statement said.