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Mideast quartet to meet Feb. 21 in Berlin - Russian envoy

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MOSCOW, February 6 (RIA Novosti) - The next ministerial meeting of the Quartet of international mediators for the Middle East conflict resolution will be held in Berlin February 21, the Russian foreign minister's special envoy for the Mideast said Tuesday.

Sergei Yakovlev said the Quartet, comprising Russia, the U.S., the UN and the EU, "should obviously meet more regularly and work more proactively."

He said the ministers could elaborate new ideas during the meeting in Berlin, which could influence developments, especially following Russian President Vladimir Putin's and U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice's visits to the Middle East.

Yakovlev said all the sides are interested in progress in the resolution of the conflict, but failed to comment on the Berlin meeting's agenda.

The previous meeting of the Quartet took place in Washington D.C. February 2.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said the necessity of regular meetings with both parties to the conflict - Israelis and Palestinians - was discussed, as well as involving regional states in the process.

"I mean, first of all, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Jordan," Lavrov said.

He said a statement, adopted by the Quartet, calls for the creation of an international support mechanism.

"This mechanism will comprise support of the political process and support in the resolution of economic problems in the Palestinian territories," Lavrov said.

The Quartet's statement expressed deep concern over the latest surge of violence in the Gaza Strip, which left more than 20 Palestinians dead and over 200 wounded since shooting began between gunmen of the Hamas and Fatah movements.

The Russian minister said the statement "confirms all the fundamental principles on which we are striving to achieve a long-term, stable, comprehensive settlement to the Middle East conflict."

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