Lavrov expressed his support for Fatah-Hamas reconciliation talks under way in Yemen.,
He also said it was very important for Israel and the Palestinians to carry out their commitments under the ``road map'' peace plan, which is the basis for negotiations renewed at an international conference in Annapolis, Md., in November.
The first phase of the road map requires Palestinian authorities to crack down on militant groups and obliges Israel to halt settlement activity. Israel says Palestinians aren't doing enough to rein in gunmen, while the Palestinians are angered by continued Israeli construction of housing in the West Bank and east Jerusalem.
Lavrov told reporters that the Kremlin is ``very much worried'' by Israeli construction on land claimed by the Palestinians for their future state envisioned by the ``road map'' plan. ``We call for an immediate halt to settlement activity,'' he said.
Lavrov, whose nation is a member of the international Quartet trying to broker a Mideast peace, arrived in the region late Wednesday for three days of talks in Syria, Israel and the West Bank.
In Syria, he met with Hamas' Damascus-based supreme leader, Khaled Mashaal, who fiercely opposes peace negotiations with Israel. In Israel, Lavrov talked with Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and other Israeli leaders.
On Friday, Abbas backed Moscow's effort to host a follow-up conference to the Annapolis gathering, where Abbas and Olmert set the ambitious goal of reaching a peace deal by the end of this year.
Israel has been cool to the idea of a Moscow conference, which would likely put a greater emphasis on bringing Israel and Syria back to the negotiating table after an eight-year lull.