The Quartet

     The international leaders did not back away from the conditions they set for the Hamas-led Palestinian government to receive vital overseas financial aid and international political recognition. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that Syria could play a constructive role in helping to advance the Israeli-Palestinian peace process."We believe that it is counterproductive to isolate anybody," Lavrov said. Also,"I don't think that to resolve this problem, just like any problem that exists in the world, that you could do it through boycott and isolation," Lavrov said. US Secretary of State,Condolezza Rice expressed little enthusiasm for such a prospect. "I hope that it (Syria) will in fact try and play a positive role rather than a negative one," she told reporters.The Bush administration has resisted expanding diplomatic ties with Syria, which it blames for supporting radical Islamic groups Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas in the Palestinian territories. Palestinian Foreign Minister Mahmoud al-Zahar of Hamas urged the Quartet in a letter to engage in talks with the Palestinian government to try to end internal fighting.(21,22)