Quartet to meet Israelis, Palestinians

The Quartet mediators will have separate meetings again next week with the Israelis and the Palestinians over ways to revive stalled direct talks between the sides. "I can confirm that on December 14 we expect another round of meetings, Quartet envoys with the Israelis and with Palestinian representatives," State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said, noting the meetings will be separate with each side like the past ones. She told reporters that following the meetings, US Special Envoy David Hale will travel on to Cairo and Paris for consultations. "This is, you know, further to our effort to get the two parties to put forward concrete proposals and to agree to come back to the table together," she added. The Quartet, comprising the US, the European Union, the United Nations and Russia, issued a statement in September calling for the parties to present comprehensive proposals within three months on territory and security, make substantial progress within six months, and reach an overall agreement by the end of 2012. Its envoys had had two separate meetings with the parties on October 26 and November 14, but failed to make any progress. The group's proposals came in direct response to the Palestinians' attempt to gain full membership at the UN Security Council. Nuland reiterated that the best way to secure a Palestinian state inside "defined and secure borders" is to come to the table and talk directly to Israel.