Brussels, 15/07/2011 (Agence Europe) - The meeting of the Middle East Quartet, held in Washington on 11 July, was a “missed opportunity” as, unfortunately, it did not manage to adopt a clear, balanced statement, a spokesman for the French Foreign Affairs Ministry said on Thursday 14 July. He went on to add that France has made a huge effort with its partners to promote the adoption by the Quartet of such a declaration. He added that the European positions were strong.
France, for its part, is working with its European partners to support the resumption of talks on a base that takes into account the legitimate aspirations of both parties. It is necessary, the spokesman said, to resume talks to safeguard and implement the two-state solution, under the best conditions and in the spirit of their initiative. He underlined that the French proposals for rekindling dialogue remain on the table. These consist of meeting again in the autumn for a peace conference. (F.B./transl.jl)