UN chief seeks to breathe fresh life into peace talks
(Worthy News) – UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon will host a ministerial meeting of key global players trying to end the decades-old Israeli-Palestinian conflict on Sept. 30 during the annual high-level session of the General Assembly, the United Nations announced Friday.
Spokesman Stephane Dujarric said that in addition to foreign ministers from the Quartet of Mideast mediators — the United States, United Nations, European Union and Russia — the secretary-general is inviting the Arab League secretary-general and the foreign ministers of Egypt, Jordan and Saudi Arabia to join the meeting.
Negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians have been stalled since the United States failed to broker a peace agreement in early 2014. The Quartet was sidelined by the US-led efforts, but their failure opened the possibility of a broader international effort to tackle the conflict. [ Source ]
EU initiative: Arab countries to join Quartet in bid to restart Israel-Palestinian talks
Arab countries will join the Middle East Quartet in New York at the end of September to seek ways to revive peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians, the EU’s top diplomat said on Friday, part of a new European diplomatic initiative.
Encouraged by Europe’s role in securing a nuclear deal with Iran, the EU believes a broad range of countries could help, more than a year after the collapse of a US-brokered peace push envisaging a Palestinian state co-existing with Israel.
On the margins of the General Assembly of the United Nations, Egypt, Jordan and Saudi Arabia and the head of the Arab League will join the Middle East Quartet of the United States, the United Nations, the European Union and Russia for talks.[ Source ]