US, EU, UN and Russia Meet in Madrid as the Middle East Quartet

On 10 April 2002 the United States, the European Union, the United Nations and Russia issued a joint statement in Madrid as the Quartet, backing two states, Israel and Palestine, within secure and recognised borders. They agreed to regular consultations between Quartet principals and continuing work by special envoys. Israeli-Palestinian peace now had a standing international steering group drawn from the world's major powers and the UN. Context photo: Quartet at the White House, 20 December 2002. Image: European Communities, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.