Quartet aiming to breathe life into Middle East talks

THE Quartet of Middle East peace mediators sought yesterday to keep alive Israeli-Palestinian peace talks although political uncertainty in Israel has scotched hopes for a deal this year.

The quartet is the EU, Russia, the UN and the US and they strongly backed the talks launched at Annapolis, Maryland, nearly a year ago by US president George W Bush, despite expectations he will fail to meet his year-end target.

The talks have been hindered from the start by violence and bitter disputes over Jewish settlement building and the future status of Jerusalem, and the process could fall apart amid political transitions in Israel and the US.

Meeting in Egypt yesterday, Israeli foreign minister Tzipi Livni and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas briefed the quartet and said they had reached some agreements, including “the need for continuous, uninterrupted, direct bilateral negotiations”.

They asked the inter- national community to support the parties’ efforts in the framework of the Annapolis process. “The quartet emphasised the importance of continuity of the peace process,” said UN secretary general Ban Ki-moon.

Mediators agreed the spring of 2009 could be an appropriate time for an international peace meeting in Moscow. The White House conceded this week that President Bush was unlikely to achieve his goal of securing a peace deal to end the decades-old conflict before he leaves office in January.

US secretary of state Condoleezza Rice, wrapping up what is likely to be her last visit to the region, joined Ban Ki-moon, Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov and EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana at the meeting.

“What we heard today from the parties, which is the most important element of this, is that they believe in the Annapolis process,” she said.

The Quartet reiterated a call to the sides to carry out fully obligations such as freezing settlement activity and dismantling militant infrastructure.

Political uncertainty in Israel and Barack Obama’s victory in the US presidential election leave the Bush administration with limited influence in its waning days.

An aide to Arab League secretary-general Amr Moussa urged the Obama administration to put the Israeli-Palestinian issue at the top of its priorities once it comes into office.