Future Palestinian govt must accept Israel: quartet

The United States, Russia, the European Union and the United Nations on Wednesday said that a future Palestinian cabinet should be committed to Israels right to exist and exclude armed militants.

"The Quartet expressed its view that a future Palestinian Authority Cabinet should include no member who has not committed to the principles of Israel's right to exist in peace and security and an unequivocal end to violence and terrorism," said a statement by the "quartet" released here.

The diplomatic grouping, whose members authored the "roadmap" for Middle East peace, called on Palestinian leader Mahmud Abbas to end attacks on Israel by armed groups opposed to the peace process, such as Islamic Jihad or Hamas, which could make a strong showing in the Palestinian legislative council elections on January 25.

"The Quartet noted the continued importance of security in this regard, and calls on the Palestinian Authority to take immediate steps to ensure law and order, prevent terrorist attacks and dismantle the infrastructure of terrorism," the statement said.

The group called the coming elections "a positive step toward consolidation of Palestinian democracy and the goal of a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict."

It called on the Palestinian Authority to ensure the polls are "a free, fair, and open process."

It also saluted the Authority's invitation to international election observers and called encouraging the negotiations between Palestinian groups on a Code of Conduct for election participants.

But the candidates "should not engage in armed group or militia activities, for there is a fundamental contradiction between such activities and the building of a democratic state," the statement said.

"In this regard, the quartet calls on all participants to renounce violence, recognize Israel's right to exist, and disarm."

The statement also called on the government of Palestinian leader Mahmud Abbas to "take additional steps to ensure the democratic process remains untainted by violence, by prohibiting political parties from pursuing their aims through violent means, and by moving expeditiously to codify this as Palestinian law."

The Quartet also stressed the immediate need for a direct dialogue between the Israeli government and the Palestinian Authority to coordinate preparations for the elections.

"Both parties should work to put in place a mechanism to allow Palestinians resident in Jerusalem to exercise their legitimate democratic rights, in conformity with existing precedent," they said.