BREAKING NEWS

Quartet sets timetable for new Mideast talks

UNITED NATIONS - The Quartet of Middle East mediators proposed on Friday that Israel and the Palestinians should meet within one month to agree on an agenda for resumed peace talks.
In a statement, the Quartet -- the United Nations, the European Union, the United States and Russia -- said it wanted to see comprehensive proposals within three months on territory and security, and substantial progress within six months.
The aim would be to reach a peace agreement before the end of 2012, said the statement, issued after a meeting between UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, European Union foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.