(Communicated by the Foreign Minister's Bureau)
At the beginning of the meeting between Vice Prime Minster and Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni and Quartet Envoy Tony Blair this evening in Jerusalem, Foreign Minister Livni stated:
"The Quartet set out clear conditions for recognizing Hamas and Hamas has not met then. The Hamas that is acting contrary to Quartet policy is the same Hamas that is engaging in terrorism against Israeli citizens. We must show determination in the fight against terror, so that the situation in the area will calm down, and that is what we are doing now. Israel is fighting against the Hamas terrorism, but with the moderates in the region, Israel wants to have a dialogue. We must fight terrorism so that there can be a political horizon.
Tony Blair stated: "Peace can come when there is quiet in the region. This is a delicate time and we will do all that is needed so as to bring the necessary quiet to this region."