Aid Agencies Accuse Peace Negotiators of Failing in Middle East

(25 Sept 08 - RV) Aid agencies today accused the Quartet of Middle East peace negotiators of failing in its mission and urged it to show it was up to the task. The agencies issued a damning report just before the Quartet made up of Russia, the United States, the European Union and the United Nations -- meets in New York tomorrow to discuss the peace process. U.S. President George W. Bush launched Israeli-Palestinian peace talks at Annapolis, near Washington, last November seeking a deal on the establishment of a Palestinian state before he leaves office next January.
The agencies said the deadline seemed unlikely to be met. They also said that the "visible progress on the ground" demanded by the Quartet when it met in Berlin in June had not materialised. We spoke to the Hanan Omasu Emergency Advocacy Officer at Christian Aid one of the agencies involved in the drafting of the report.