UNITED NATIONS -
The key international players trying to
promote peace in the
Middle East meet on the sidelines of the U.N. General
Assembly on Friday as the
U.N. Security Council
opens a high-level debate on Israeli settlements.
Israel is
awaiting a new government, the Palestinians are seriously divided,
and President Bush
is looking for an agreement by the end of the year, although both
Palestinians and Israelis have expressed doubt about achieving that
goal.
"This meeting, which took place at crucial
time in the peace process, and on the eve of the meeting of the
Quartet, provided an opportunity to discuss the European Union's
enhanced role in the peace process deepening relations between the
European Union and the Palestinian Authority," the EU said in
a statement.
But a group of
leading aid agencies,
including CARE, Save the Children and
Christian Aid,
issued a report Thursday warning the Quartet process was failing and
called for more action and less words.
"The Quartet has
fundamentally failed to improve the humanitarian situation on the
ground. Unless the Quartet's words are matched
by more sustained pressure and decisive action the situation will
deteriorate still further. Time is fast running out," David
Mepham, director of policy for Save the Children UK, said in a
statement.
As late as last
month Secretary of
State Condoleezza Rice held out hope of talks succeeding.
"God willing, with the goodwill of the
parties, and the tireless work of the parties, we have a good chance
of succeeding," Rice said after seeing Israeli and
Palestinian leaders and summoning top negotiators for a joint status
report.
Israeli President
Shimon Peres told the General Assembly in his address
Wednesday that despite "stagnation and
regression and failure" in the peace process, "Israelis and Arabs
are marching toward peace."
