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Mideast Quartet to Meet in Moscow

   The talks come as Israel faces criticism over an announcement it plans
   to build 1,600 homes for Jewish settlers in occupied East Jerusalem

   VOA News 19 March 2010

   High-level  envoys  from  the  Middle  East diplomatic Quartet meet in
   Moscow  Friday  for  talks on restarting negotiations between Israelis
   and  Palestinians  just  as  tensions  rise  over  settlements in East
   Jerusalem.
   The  meeting  will  include  U.N.  Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, U.S.
   Secretary  of  State  Hillary  Clinton,  European Union foreign policy
   chief Catherine Ashton, and Russia's foreign minister Sergei Lavrov.
   The talks come as Israel faces major criticism over an announcement it
   plans  to  build  1,600  homes  for  Jewish  settlers in occupied East
   Jerusalem.
   The  move  angered  Palestinians  who  want the area as the capital of
   their  future  state.   The U.S. was also upset, saying the timing of
   the  announcement, during a visit last week by U.S. Vice President Joe
   Biden, was an "insult."
   Israeli   Prime  Minister  Benjamin  Netanyahu  spoke  by  phone  with
   Secretary Clinton on Thursday, in a bid to defuse the dispute. Israeli
   officials    say    Mr.   Netanyahu   has   proposed   a   number   of
   confidence-building  measures  to  facilitate  peace  talks  with  the
   Palestinians.  Â
   State  Department  spokesman P.J. Crowley said the two discussed steps
   that  might be taken to improve the atmosphere for peace.  He did not
   give details.
   In  a  statement, Crowley also said the U.S. envoy to the Middle East,
   George  Mitchell,  will  visit  the  region following Friday's Quartet
   meeting  in  Moscow.  He  will  meet  separately  with  Prime Minister
   Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.
   Mitchell's  trip  had  been  postponed  following  Israel's settlement
   announcement.
   Officials  say  Secretary  of  State Clinton will likely meet with the
   Israeli prime minister in Washington next week.
   Some information for this report was provided by AFP

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