US Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice, speaking on behalf of the diplomatic quartet on the Middle East peace process meeting in New York, said the Israelis and Palestinians are engaged in the most serious negotiations in seven years.

She said the parties have demonstrated their commitment and she believes the process could still be concluded before the end of the year, despite the change of government in Israel.

"I do believe they can still get an agreement by the end of the year. It was never going to be easy, it's certainly no easier now, but the issues are also pretty clear. And I don't think it's a matter of time, I think it's a matter of working urgently."

The quartet, composed of the United Nations, the United States, the European Union and Russia announced that it would set up a date for a meeting in the region, to be briefed by the parties on their on-going negotiation process.

Reporting for UN Radio, I'm Bissera Kostova.

Article Source: http://www.unmultimedia.org/radio/english/detail/10772.html