New York  - The United Nations Security Council is considering a new Mideast peace resolution presented Saturday by envoys from the United States and Russia.

After a private meeting of the Security Council, Zalmay Khalilzad, US Ambassador to the United Nations, said that the 15-member decision-making body should "recognize the progress that has been made towards the goal of achieving a two-state solution."

He emphasized that "the focus has to be on the principles, not on details" of the long-stymied peace process.

The resolution could come up for consideration as early as Tuesday, when leading foreign ministers are expected to be in attendance at the Security Council.

"This is an appropriate time to make sure there is no pause (in the peace process)," Khalilzad said.

He said that there were "positive" reactions to a draft resolution that calls for all countries to "contribute to an atmosphere conducive to negotiations" and to support the Palestinian Authority's commitment to the peace process, as set out in last year's Annapolis conference. The resolution emphasizes assistance to Palestinian economic development and institution-building.

Russian Ambassador Vitaly Churkin called it "very important to continue with the momentum. Considerable effort has been done in the last 12 months."

He noted the Security Council's relative inactivity recently on the Mideast peace process. (dpa)