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, EU High Representative Catherine Ashton and Quartet Representative Tony Blair. Recalling previous resolutions and statements, the leaders urged the Israelis and Palestinians to resume direct negotiations immediately with the goal of reaching an agreement by the end of 2012, and proposed several steps designed to promote trust and reduce tensions.