Top diplomats from the so-called Quartet of the United States, the United Nations, the European Union (EU) and Russia, expressed strong support on Monday for the Middle East peace conference scheduled to take place in Annapolis, Maryland.
In a statement after a meeting of its top diplomats, the Quartet expressed strong support for the Nov. 27 Annapolis Conference.
"It welcomed the commitment of the Israeli and Palestinian leaders to launch bilateral negotiations toward the establishment of a Palestinian state in the West Bank and Gaza and the realization of Israeli-Palestinian peace," the statement said.
"This reflects the results of months of work by the parties and by the Quartet, including the Quartet's engagement with members of the Arab League Follow-Up Committee to expand the circle of support for peace," the statement added.
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, EU High Representative for European Foreign and Security Policy Javier Solana, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and other top diplomats attended Monday's meeting.
The Quartet drafted the so-called "roadmap" for the Middle East peace, outlining the vision of a Palestinian state living side by side with Israel. However, the "roadmap" plan has been stalled due to the violence between the Israelis and Palestinians.
In an effort to push the Middle East peace process forward, the United States hosts the Middle East peace conference, and nearly 50 countries and international organizations are expected to attend the conference.
Source:Xinhua
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