The United Nations, the United States, Russia and the European Union (EU) Friday voiced a joint condemnation of the latest suicide bombing in Israel and called on Syria to take action against the Damascus-based Palestinian Islamic Jihad which claimed responsibility for the attack.

The four parties, the so-called Middle East quartet, issued a statement after UN chief Kofi Annan spoke by telephone with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw and EU high representative for foreign and security Policy Javier Solana.

"The quartet urges the Syrian government to take immediate action to close the offices of Palestinian Islamic Jihad and to prevent the use of its territory by armed groups engaged in terrorist acts," said the statement read by a UN spokesman in New York.

"The quartet denounces all acts of terrorism and urges all parties to exercise restraint, avoid an escalation of violence, and keep channels of communication open. The quartet strongly encourages and supports the Palestinian Authority in its immediate effort to take steps to prevent armed groups from acting against law and order and the policy of the authority itself."

The quartet sponsored the roadmap peace plan for the Middle East, which calls for a series of parallel steps leading to two states living side-by-side in peace, originally by the end of this year.

"The quartet believes it is imperative that all involved act decisively to ensure that terror and violence are not allowed to undermine further progress in accordance with the roadmap," the statement concluded.

Islamic Jihad claimed responsibility for Wednesday's bombing in the central Israeli town of Hadera, calling it revenge for Israeli 's killing of one of its West Bank leaders last week. The bombing killed five Israelis and wounded dozens of others, triggering a new wave of Israeli military offensives against Palestinian militants.

Source: Xinhua