EUROPEAN UNION Brussels, 4 February 2011 A 044/11 EU High Representative Catherine Ashton chairs Middle East Quartet Ministerial meeting in Munich Catherine Ashton, European Union High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, will chair the first meeting of the Middle East Quartet principles of 2011 on Saturday, February 5. She will be joined in the meeting -- which takes place in the margins of the Munich Security Conference -- by UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Quartet Envoy Tony Blair. Catherine Ashton said ahead of the meeting: "This meeting comes at a crucial time when we are witnessing significant events in the Middle East region. It is therefore extremely important that we stay the course in the Middle East Peace Process. We must remain focused on making progress on a negotiated peace agreement between Israel and Palestine -- a key component in bringing about peace and stability in the wider region." During her time in Munich, Catherine Ashton will also hold a number of bilateral discussions, including with Secretary of State Clinton on EU-US relations, Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai and Ban Ki-moon ahead of her upcoming trip to New York (Feb 6-9). Catherine Ashton will hold a press conference at approximately 1600 hours, following the Quartet meeting. This will be followed by remarks to the Munich Security Council on the wider Middle East. Video footage will be provided by EBS. ____________________ P R E S S FOR FURTHER DETAILS: Maja Kocijancic +32 498 984 425 - +32 2 298 65 70 - [email protected] Darren Ennis +32 498 963 293 - +32 2 296 32 93 - [email protected] [email protected] www.eeas.europa.eu EN .