UN chief: Quartet of key Mideast peacemakers to meet in Italy later this month

UN chief: key Mideast peacemakers to meet

UNITED NATIONS — Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon says that key parties trying to promote Mideast peace will meet in Italy later this month.

Ban gave no details on the date and place but said Thursday he expects the Quartet of the United Nations, the United States, the European Union and Russia to discuss the next steps to promote Israeli-Palestinian peace.

High-level Quartet meetings are usually attended by foreign ministers. Foreign ministers from the Group of Eight major industrialized nations are already scheduled to meet in Trieste June 26-27.

The G8 includes the U.S., Russia, Britain, France, Germany, Japan, Italy and Canada.

Ban also says that President Barack Obama’s speech to the Muslim world in Cairo was “historic” and a “fantastic statement.”