The representatives of the Quartet reaffirm their strong support for direct
negotiations between the Israelis and the Palestinians to resolve all final
status issues. The Quartet reaffirms its full commitment to its previous
statements, including in Trieste on 26 June 2009, in New York on 24 September
2009, and its statement in Moscow on 19 March 2010 which provides that direct,
bilateral negotiations that resolve all final status issues should "lead
to a settlement, negotiated between the parties, that ends the occupation
which began in 1967 and results in the emergence of an independent,
democratic, and viable Palestinian state living side by side in peace and
security with Israel and its other neighbors."
The Quartet expresses its determination to support the parties throughout the
negotiations, which can be completed within one year, and the implementation
of an agreement. The Quartet again calls on both sides to observe calm and
restraint, and to refrain from provocative actions and inflammatory rhetoric.
Welcoming the result of the Arab Peace Initiative Committee in Cairo on July
29, the Quartet notes that success will require sustained regional and
international support for the negotiations and the parallel process of
Palestinian state-building and the pursuit of a just, lasting and
comprehensive regional peace as envisaged in the Madrid terms of reference,
Security Council resolutions and the Arab Peace Initiative. The Quartet
Principals intend to meet with their colleagues from the Arab League in
September in New York to review the situation. Accordingly, the Quartet calls
on the Israelis and the Palestinians to join in launching direct negotiations
on September 2 in Washington, D.C. to resolve all final status issues and
fulfill the aspirations of both parties.
New York, 20 August 2010