UNITED NATIONS, March 22 (UPI) -- The Middle East diplomatic Quartet says the Palestinian unity government's commitment will be judged on its actions as much as composition and platform.
Members of the Quartet -- the European Union, Russia, the United Nations and the United States -- also endorsed the extension of a stop-gap measure for providing aid to the Palestinian people.
In a statement released at U.N. World Headquarters in New York, they voiced support for a U.S.-led effort to find a political solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The Quartet expressed hope the creation of the new government at the weekend would help end the recent deadly round of intra-Palestinian violence.
The statement was issued Wednesday following a telephone discussion Monday involving EU High Representative Javier Solana and other EU representatives, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.
The statement reaffirmed a Palestinian government must commit to Quartet principles, including the peace "road map," adding, "the commitment of the new government in this regard will be measured not only on the basis of its composition and platform but also its actions."
The Quartet said it expects the "unity government will act responsibly, demonstrate clear and credible commitment to the Quartet principles, and support the efforts of President (Mahmoud) Abbas to pursue a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, thereby achieving the peace, security and freedom the Israeli and Palestinian people desire and deserve."
The statement backed the continuation for another three months of the "Temporary International Mechanism" -- the means devised last year by the EU and the World Bank to provide aid directly to the Palestinian people by bypassing the then Hamas-led government, which had not committed to recognizing Israel or renouncing violence.
