Quartet urges to push Mideast peace process
Güncelleme Tarihi:
Israel and the Palestinians should continue the peace process in the context of last year's U.S. conference which revived their negotiations, the Middle East peace Quartet yesterday said.
"The Quartet called for the continuing of the peace process in the framework of Annapolis," UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said, reading from the Quartet's final statment which also criticised "terrorism" and Israeli settlement building.
The Quartet -- which groups the European Union, Russia, the United Nations and the United States, met in Egypt on Sunday to take stock of the negotiations, with no sign that a long-elusive deal will be reached this year.
"Without minimising the gaps and obstacles that remain, the representatives of the parties shared their assessment that the present negotiations are substantial and promising," the statement said.
"The Quartet reiterated its call to the parties to fully impelement their obligations under phase one of the road map, including in relation to freezing settlement activity and dismantlement of the infrastruture of terrorism."
The parties "ask the international community to redouble efforts to confront and deny support for extremism, incitement, terrorism and intolerance."