Washington: Theinternational group mediating the Middle Eastconflict reaffirmed its commitment to creating a Palestinian state and calledfor an end to the violence in the Gaza Strip. 

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said the Middle Eastquartet, which consists of the EU, Russia,the UN and the US,was 'deeply concerned' about the violence between Palestinian factions that hasleft scores of people dead in recent weeks. 

The quartet also welcomed a meeting later this month betweenIsraeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and USSecretary of State Condoleezza Rice aimed at defining "more clearly thepolitical horizon for the Palestinian people", Ban said here Friday. 

Rice said the peace process must move as quickly as possibletowards the vision of a Palestinian state but declined to set a deadline. 

"It doesn't help to set an artificial timetable,"she said at a press conference that included Ban, Russian Foreign MinisterSergey Lavrov, EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana and German ForeignMinister Frank-Walter Steinmeier, whose country holds the rotating EUpresidency. 

The quartet last year called on nations to cut off aid tothe Palestinian Authority after Hamas took control of the legislature in Marchafter winning elections two months earlier. 

Friday's statement reaffirmed the quartet view that Hamas,designated by the US and EU as a terrorist organisation, must recognise Israel'sright to exist, renounce violence and accept previous peace agreements,including the roadmap peace plan unveiled by the quartet in 2003. 

Rice said she believed it was now necessary to start talksabout final borders, the status of Jerusalemand the right of return for Palestinian refugees alongside other measuresoutlined in the roadmap. 

"It would be useful to have discussions that were, atfirst, informal and discussions, so that they can begin to address all of theissues that would lead to the establishment of a Palestinian state," Ricesaid, adding that the two sides have not discussed the highly contentiousissues in six years. 

Russiahas differed with the USand EU over how to deal with Hamas. Lavrov said the policy of isolating theHamas would not achieve success. 

"We are convinced that it is necessary to work withHamas to try to influence their position so that Hamas would accept thoseprinciples that were formulated by the quartet," Lavrov said. 

Hamas and Abbas's Fatah party have been engaged in fiercegunbattles that have undermined efforts to form a unity government. 

"Innocent people are being caught up in this violenceand it needs to stop," Rice said. 

The USis providing $86 million to strengthen Abbas' security forces to prevent thebloodshed in the Palestinian territories as well as to go after militantsresponsible for terrorist attacks against Israelis. 

The UShas been under increasing international pressure to play a greater role in theIsrael-Palestinian conflict following criticism that the issue has taken a backseat to the conflict in Iraq. 

The Israelis and Palestinians reached a series of agreementsunder the roadmap peace effort that began in 2003 but it stalled afterPalestinian terrorist attacks and Israeli retaliations. The process came to acomplete stop after Hamas took power in elections largely seen as a voteagainst corruption within Fatah's ranks.