Mideast diplomatic Quartet to meet in Brussels Wednesday
(BRUSSELS) - Representatives of the Middle East diplomatic Quartet meet in Brussels Wednesday to discuss a new US plan to restart peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians, an EU spokesman said.
The meeting will take place at the level of special envoys from the European Union, the United States, Russia and the United Nations, the spokesman for new EU foreign affairs chief Catherine Ashton said Monday.
Separately, Ashton will hold talks Tuesday with Quartet envoy Tony Blair and US representative George Mitchell. She will not take part in Wednesday's meeting, which is the first of its kind since November's UN General Assembly.
On Monday, Israel's Maariv newspaper said Washington was pushing a plan to restart peace talks that foresees reaching a final deal in two years and agreeing on permanent borders in nine months.
That plan is likely to be the focus of the talks. US officials said Friday that Mitchell already met in recent days with UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon.
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