Middle East Quartet talks set for July 11

United States, European Union and United Nations will meet in Washington amid a US push to revive Israeli-Palestinian negotiations.

By REUTERS
United Nations flags_521 (photo credit: Istock)
United Nations flags_521
(photo credit: Istock)
UNITED NATIONS - The Quartet of Middle East peace negotiators -- the United States, Russia, the European Union and the United Nations -- are scheduled to meet on July 11, a senior UN diplomat said on Friday.
The meeting, expected to take place in Washington, will come amid a US push to revive peace negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians.
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A round of secret meetings with US envoys aimed at getting the two parties back around the table has not yet achieved any breakthrough and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas recently reaffirmed that he planned to win Palestinians UN recognition this coming September.
Abbas is pushing to secure United Nations recognition of Palestinian statehood.
Last month, the quartet voiced strong support for US President Barack Obama's vision of Israeli-Palestinian peace.
"The Quartet agrees that moving forward on the basis of territory and security provides a foundation for Israelis and Palestinians to reach a final resolution of the conflict through serious and substantive negotiations and mutual agreement on all core issues," the group said in a statement.
Setting out the principles of a peace agreement, Obama reaffirmed the US commitment to Israel's security. He called for a peace deal resulting in two states, Israel and Palestine, sharing the border that existed before Israel captured the West Bank in the 1967 Six-Day War.
Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, who was meeting with Obama in Washington at the time, reacted by saying this could leave Israel with borders that were "indefensible" and suggested the US government does not understand the problems Israel faces.
"The members of the Quartet are in full agreement about the urgent need to resolve the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians," the Quartet's joint statement said.