Quartet’s peace efforts – SecGen remarks to the press

Q: Sir, on the Middle East, what more can be done by the Quartet to get over this hump and end the cycle of violence?

SG: I think the Quartet and the international community should reenergize its efforts to bring peace to the region. I believe that we

should really be seen as taking concrete steps to achieve the objective of two states living side by side in peace and security in

three years' time.

I think we should be seen as taking steps that will lead to a Palestinian state, to convince the Palestinians that there is a prospect

and hope on the horizon for them, and we should also be seen as taking steps to end terrorism and assure security for Israel. In

other words we should move forward purposefully, deliberately, but both communities must be convinced that we are tackling their

core issues.

I believe that, as I said the other time we met, we have a vision which everybody accepts. Now we have to come up with

concrete steps and an operational pathway to get us there. Once we become that engaged and people see prospects, I think we

can really begin to lean on them to back away from violence which leads nowhere. Really, it brings misery and despair for the two

communities.

We have some work to do. I know that members of the Quartet share this view and we did discuss it at our last meeting and

we've tasked our envoys to do some work on this.

Q: Are we not farther and farther away from people recognizing that they must take steps to end the bombings instead of

ratcheting up…?

SG: …I hope we can bring them back from the brink.