Ban Ki-Moon says Quartet will visit Israel soon

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is urging international and Mideast leaders to take action to prevent the Israeli-Palestinian conflict from becoming a religious dispute that could be exploited by extremists on both sides “with potentially dangerous regional implications.”

The UN chief, who just returned from talks with Israeli and Palestinian leaders, told reporters in New York on Friday that “despite the anger and the polarization, there is still time to step back from the brink.”

Ban said he hopes Friday’s meeting in Vienna of the Quartet of Mideast mediators — the UN, US, EU, Russia — and Arab leaders, and other meetings will result in an end to violence.

He said Quartet envoys plan to visit the region soon “to explore significant steps” to restore confidence and move toward a two-state solution.

— AP

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon at the Prime Minister's Office in Jerusalem on October 20, 2015 (Miriam Alster/Flash90)
United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon at the Prime Minister’s Office in Jerusalem on October 20, 2015 (Miriam Alster/Flash90)

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