MOSCOW. March 19. KAZINFORM A meeting of the "quartet" for the Middle East settlement (Russia, the United States, U.N. and EU) on the level of ministers opened here on Friday. Participants in the meeting will discuss ways of settling the Israeli-Palestinian crisis and resuming the negotiating process between the conflicting parties.

"The 'quartet' is meeting to discuss the difficult situation that took shape in the Middle East settlement, as well a the ideas that the 'quartet' might suggest to the parties for creating conditions, needed for the resumption of the talks," said Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.

"So far as the response of the parties is concerned, we hope it will be constructive," he added. Lavrov refused to make forecasts on whether or not the current meting will be effective from the point of view of the Middle East settlement."

"I have no gift to foresee the future," he said.

Members of the "quartet" are determined to adopt a document on the results of the meeting featuring clear and unambiguous stands of the parties and confirming all the previous decisions of the world community on the terms and parameters of direct talks between Israel and Palestinians. They are determined as well to ensure that those stands will be not only heeded, but also put into effect,  Kazinform cites ITAR-TASS.

See www.itar-tass.com