UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon called Monday for Israel to maintain the moratorium on Jewish settlements in the West Bank in order to help the direct peace talks between Israelis and Palestinians, dpa reported. "There should not be any unexpected hurdles to the direct talks," Ban told a news conference as he prepares to host a meeting next week of the quartet, the four-member diplomatic group for peace in the Middle East. Ban urged Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to expand the moratorium when it expires at the end of September in order to contribute to a favourable climate for his direct talks with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. The quartet, composed of the UN, the European Union, the United States and Russia, will meet in New York next week when leaders of the four parties will be attending the UN General Assembly, which will open its 65th annual session on Tuesday. Ban said the international community was encouraged by the Netanyahu-Abbas talks in late August in Washington. "It is very important for all concerned parties that the direct talks proceed in the right direction," Ban said. "Everybody will have a role to play." A second round of talks is scheduled to start in the Egyptian resort of Sharm el-Sheikh Tuesday.
