Quartet meeting – Press briefing by Office of Spokesman of SecGen and Spokeswoman for GA President – Press release (excerpts)

---

---

DAILY PRESS BRIEFING BY THE OFFICES OF THE SPOKESMAN FOR THE SECRETARY-GENERAL

AND THE SPOKESWOMEN FOR THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY PRESIDENT

 

/…

** Middle East

Alvaro de Soto, the UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, today attended a working-level meeting of the Middle East Quartet in Cairo.  The Quartet, you’ll recall, brings together the United Nations, the European Union, Russia and the United States.

The Quartet envoys discussed the talks that are under way on the formation of a unity government among the Palestinians and the recent security situation on the ground.

Afterwards, de Soto said, it had been a good meeting and reiterated the stance expressed in the Quartet statement of 20 September, welcoming the efforts by the Palestinians to form a Government of National Unity, in that hopes that the platform of such a Government would reflect Quartet principles and allow for early engagement.  He also hoped that such a government could make a contribution to reducing the sort of Palestinian rocket attacks, which today tragically claimed one Israeli life in the town of Sderot.

Meanwhile, in Cairo, de Soto also intends to meet with Egyptian Foreign Minister, Ahmed Aboul Gheit, and with Amre Moussa, the Secretary-General of the League of Arab States.

/…