Washington, Jul 7 (IANS): The Middle East Quartet comprising the European Union, the UN, the US and Russia would meet next Monday in Washington and take stock of the current situation between Israel and Palestine, a top US official said.

US State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said Wednesday that since President Barack Obama outlined his vision in March about peacemaking between Israelis and Palestinians based on the 1967 borders, many of the Quartet members have been engaged in efforts to get them back to the table.

"With regard to the Quartet next week, the ministers are going to come together and take stock of where we are. So it's a good opportunity for stock- taking among the major ministers involved," Xinhua quoted Nuland as saying at a news briefing.

She, however, acknowledged it is hard to get the parties to resume talks.

"You can see that this is hard work getting these parties back to the table, and that hard work will continue not only in the US but by all the Quartet partners," she said.

Nuland said it was not "a good idea" for the Palestinians to try to seek recognition of their statehood when the UN General Assembly meets in September.