Moscow’s Middle East ‘Quartet’ summit finally sets timeline for the creation of a Palestinian state
MOSCOW, Russia — The recent Middle East ‘Quartet’ meeting in Moscow produced a joint statement, in which the international mediators drew up clear, phase-by-phase steps for the activation of the Middle East Regulation Process aimed at finally ending the lingering conflicts between Israel and Palestine, thus bringing lasting peace to the whole region.
The end goal of these measures, according to the international mediators, is ending the ongoing occupation of Palestine by Israel that started in 1967 and the creation of an independent, democratic Palestine state that will live in peace, security and harmony with Tel-Aviv and other countries in the Middle East after 24 months.
It is worth noting that all top representatives of the UN, Russia, EU and the United States — the countries and organizations that comprise the ‘Quartet,’ which took part in the March 19 meeting on the premises of the Russian Foreign Ministry in Moscow — had similar views on the key issue on the agenda. Specifically, present at the meeting were U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, Quartet Representative Tony Blair, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, U.S. State Secretary Hillary Clinton, U.S. Special Envoy for Middle East Peace George Mitchell and Catherine Ashton, the EU’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy.
The Quartet, whilst denouncing in the joint statement Tel-Aviv’s recently announced plans to continue its questionable housing expansion policy in contested East Jerusalem, however, praised the warring parties’ agreement to launch indirect talks as an important step toward the resumption, without preconditions, of direct bilateral negotiations that will resolve all the thorny issues on the final status of the Palestinian state.
Going by the tune of the joint statement, the Quartet seems very confident in the eventual success of these plans for the final regulation of the Israel-Palestine conflicts. “We believe these negotiations should lead to a settlement, negotiated between the parties within 24 months, that will end the occupation of Palestine by Israel, which began in 1967 and result in the emergence of an independent democratic Palestinian state that is living side by side in peace and security with Israel and its other neighbors,” the negotiators said. “We reiterate that the establishment of peace between Arab and Israel and the emergence of a peaceful state of Palestine in the West Bank and Gaza is in fundamental interests of both parties, all states in the region and the international community as a whole. In this regard, we call on all countries to support the ongoing dialog between Israel and Palestine.”
Web design,