Quartet convenes in effort to revive Israel-Palestinian talks

          ‏The foreign ministers of the Middle East Quartet will be meeting today in Washington and are expected to release a statement endorsing U.S. President Barack Obama's May 19th speech on the Middle East, which called for negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians on the borders of a future state based on pre-1967 lines with agreed-upon land swaps. A senior Israeli official told Kol Yisrael that the Palestinians oppose wording including the phrases "end of conflict" or "end of claims," and refuse a solution to the refugee issue based on a return of refugees to a Palestinian state.They also refuse to recognise Israel as a Jewish state. The Israeli officials said that if agreement cannot be reached the Quartet is likely to issue a vague statement calling on the sides to resume negotiations.‏ The Quartet, which consists of the United States, the United Nations, the European Union and Russia, is expected to send a delegation to the region to determine if the will exists and the time is ripe for renewed negotiations. Yesterday the group of eight senior Israeli cabinet members convened to discuss the anticipated announcement by the Quartet. Palestinian officials called on the Quartet to accept a formula recognising a Palestinian state on the 1967 borders and accepting palestine as a UN- member state.(07,00)