A statement published by the Middle East Quartet on 23 September 2011 in New York, NY, following a meeting of its leaders: UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Special Envoy George Mitchell, EU High Representative Catherine Ashton and Quartet Representative Tony Blair. The statement welcomed the launch of Israeli-Palestinian proximity talks and expressed hope that negotiations would conclude with a two-state solution within 24 months. It called on both sides to honor their obligations under previous agreements and international law.