New York - UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon welcomed on Wednesday the new government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, offering his cooperation to work for peace in the Middle East but also reminding him of the two-state solution backed by the international community.

Ban said he looks forward to working with Netanyahu "on the full range of peace and security issues in the region."

"This include the resumption of the Middle East peace process, with the aim of achieving an independent and viable Palestinian State living side-by-side in peace with a secure Israel, and a comprehensive Arab-Israeli peace as envisaged in UN Security Council resolutions," Ban said.

In his speech to Israel's Knesset on Tuesday, Netanyaho promised to continue on the "joint path to peace" but did not speak of the two-state state solution which would see a Palestinian state created alongside Israel.

The omission drew protests from the Palestinians and former British prime minister Tony Blair, who is the special Middle East envoy for the international community, and a reminder from German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

Ban emphasized his "desire for close cooperation and dialogue with the new government to advance the work of the United Nations." (dpa)