Middle East 'Quartet' - US, UN, Russia and European Union - to meet Tuesday

The diplomatic Quartet on the Middle East, comprising the United Nations, United States, Russian Federation and European Union (EU), will hold a series of meetings in New York on Tuesday, a UN spokesman announced today.

The UN will be represented by Secretary-General Kofi Annan at the meeting, which will also see the participation of Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov and United States Secretary of State Colin Powell. Also attending for the EU will be Foreign Minister Per Stig Moeller of Denmark, which currently holds the EU's rotating presidency, Javier Solana, the EU's High Representative for Common Foreign and Security Policy, and Chris Patten, the European Commission's External Relations Commissioner.

Following their discussions, additional meetings will be held together with the Foreign Ministers of Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon and Saudi Arabia, as well as the Israeli and Palestinian delegations.

The Quartet principals are expected to brief the press following these talks.