Quartet of Mideast peacemakers lauds Obama’s initiative

Mideast negotiators lauds Obama’s initiative

UNITED NATIONS — The Quartet of Mideast peacemakers says President Barack Obama’s meetings with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas represents an important step toward the resumption of peace talks.

The Quartet — comprising the U.S., U.N., European Union and Russia — said it shared the sense of urgency expressed by Obama regarding the comprehensive resolution of the Arab-Israeli conflict.

EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana said some progress had even been made on the thorny issue of Israel’s during a series of talks on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly.

On Tuesday, Obama summoned Netanyahu and Abbas to a joint meeting at the U.N. Obama told the two leaders that too much time had already been wasted and that it’s time to resume negotiations.