Parties urged to enter Mideast talks
They reiterated their condemnation of Israel’s latest move to add Jewish housing in disputed east Jerusalem but did not strengthen it.
The so-called Quartet group of Middle East negotiators — the US, Russia, the UN and the EU — met in the Russian capital to set the stage for peace talks in which the US would be a go-between.
Those indirect talks, also called proximity talks, would be the first under the Democratic Obama administration and the hawkish Israeli government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
At a news conference after the meeting, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton spoke approvingly of indications Netanyahu is ready to address US concerns.
“What I heard from the prime minister in response to the requests we made was useful and productive,” she said, “and we are continuing our discussions with him and his government.”
Joining Clinton at the Moscow meeting were UN secretary general Ban Ki- moon, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton and the Quartet’s special representative, former British prime minister Tony Blair.
Lavrov told a joint news conference that the Israelis and Palestinians should move first to indirect talks, followed by face-to-face negotiations.
The idea is that each side would convey messages through a US envoy.
Those indirect talks were to have started last week but were stalled by reaction to Israel’s announcement of new Jewish housing in east Jerusalem.
Clinton said she expects to see Netanyahu in Washington next week.
“We are all committed to the launching of proximity talks between the Israelis and Palestinians,” Clinton told reporters.
George Mitchell, the US Middle East peace envoy, is to meet in coming days with Israeli and Palestinian leaders in hopes of getting the process restarted. Mitchell attended yesterday’s talks.
The fragile situation in Gaza was one of the key focuses of the Quartet session. The diplomats expressed concern about the humanitarian situation there.
The Israeli air force responded early yesterday to a rocket attack by Gaza militants the day before by striking six targets in southern Gaza. The Israeli military identified the targets as three weapons-smuggling tunnels; two other tunnels that militants were digging to infiltrate into Israel and a weapons workshop. No injuries were reported.
The rocket and the Israeli retaliation raised the spectre of further conflagration at a time of renewed international focus on the Israeli- Palestinian conflict.
In a nod to Israeli security concerns, the Quartet condemned the rocket attack.
Of the four members, the United States customarily has been the least inclined to criticise Israel.
After Israel’s announcement last week of the new Jewish housing, the Quartet issued a statement of condemnation but did not formally meet to discuss the matter. “Unilateral actions taken by either party cannot prejudge the outcome of negotiations and will not be recognised by the international community,” it said in the March 12 statement.
The Quartet has consistently called for Israel to restrain settlement activity.
In a formal statement after its last meeting, in September 2009, the Quartet urged Israel to freeze all settlement activity and to “refrain from provocative actions” in east Jerusalem. It also called on the Palestinian Authority to continue to make efforts to improve law and order, to fight violent extremism and to end incitement.
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