Mideast Quartet looks to build on Israeli withdrawal from Gaza

The United States, the European Union, Russia and the United Nations, known as the Quartet when dealing with the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, have met for the first time since Israel's withdrawal from Gaza to discuss ways to maintain momentum toward a peaceful settlement of the conflict.

"The Quartet's assessment of the Gaza withdrawal is that, in fact, it has been a successful withdrawal [and] that it demonstrated that the Israelis and Palestinians can work together in the most detailed circumstances and the most difficult circumstances. There has been excellent security coordination and cooperation that allowed the withdrawal to take place peacefully and effectively," Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said at a press conference at the end of the two-hour Quartet meeting September 20.

"Our task now is to build on the momentum of that withdrawal to help the Palestinians create in Gaza a model for a Palestinian Authority that can, indeed, govern and the international community is very actively involved in that," the secretary said.