The US blocked an initiative by Britain, France and Germany to restart stalled Israeli-Palestinian talks by proposing the outlines of a final settlement to their long conflict, UN diplomats and a US official said on Monday.
The three European countries wanted UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and the EU to propose a settlement text at a meeting of the Quartet of Middle East mediators — the US, UN, EU and Russia — tentatively scheduled to take place on Friday in Berlin on the sidelines of a NATO ministerial meeting, the diplomats said.
However, a US official said US President Barack Obama’s administration did not think a Quartet meeting would produce anything useful in terms of getting the talks restarted.
“It wasn’t the right time,” the official said.
A European diplomat expressed regret that the meeting was postponed, saying it was time for a strong signal from the Quartet to try to get talks moving since US efforts have failed.
Both spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly.
UN deputy spokesman Farhan Haq said the secretary-general will be traveling in the coming days, “but there’s no announcement of a Quartet meeting to make at present.”
Britain, France and Germany had been pressing key capitals — including Washington and Jerusalem — to support a new EU and UN initiative in the Quartet.
The US decision to delay the meeting is certain to irritate the three key US allies.
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