WASHINGTON, Oct. 28 (UPI) -- The Mideast quartet Friday warned Syria to close the offices of Islamic Jihad and other groups operating on its soil after a bomb attack in Israel Wednesday.
The quartet -- the European Union, Russia, the United Nations and the United States -- said it "condemned" the Oct. 26 suicide blast in Hadera, Israel, responsibility for which was claimed by Islamic Jihad, which is based in Damascus.
"The Quartet urges the Syrian government to take immediate action to close the offices of Palestinian Islamic Jihad and to prevent the use of its territory by armed groups engaged in terrorist acts," the statement said.
The statement came after talks among U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw, EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana, and European Commissioner for External Relations Benita Ferrero-Waldner.
The quartet also urged all parties to "exercise restraint, avoid an escalation of violence, and keep the channels of communication open."
