U.N. chief hopes Israel will seek two-state solution

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Wednesday expressed hope that Israel's new right-leaning government would continue to work on establishing an independent Palestinian state.

Ban "welcomes the formation of a new government in Israel and looks forward to working with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on the full range of peace and security issues," a statement issued by his spokeswoman Michele Montas said.

"This includes 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," Ban said.

The Israeli government is made up of right- and left-leaning parties with differing views on how to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Earlier on Wednesday Israel's new foreign minister, right-winger Avigdor Lieberman, angered Palestinians by saying Israel was not bound by a U.S.-sponsored declaration signed in 2007 in Annapolis, Maryland, that it would start negotiations on establishing a Palestinian state.

The U.N. chief seldom issues public statements congratulating countries on forming new governments. Montas said the point of Ban's statement was to "underline the commitments made by Israel."

The United Nations is a member of the so-called Quartet of Middle East peace brokers, along with the United States, Russia and the European Union.

(Reporting by Louis Charbonneau; Editing by Xavier Briand)