UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The Quartet of Middle East peace mediators on Wednesday endorsed Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas' effort to establish a national unity government with Hamas, which is still officially committed to the destruction of Israel.
"The Quartet welcomes the efforts of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to form a government of national unity, in the hope that the platform of such a government would reflect Quartet principles and allow for early engagement," U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan and foreign ministers of the United States, European Union and Russia said in a statement.
