The U.N. chief also called for concrete initiatives to ease the humanitarian suffering of the residents of Gaza, where border restrictions have severely hurt the local economy. While in Annapolis, Ban participated in a series of bilateral discussions on the Middle East peace process, including talks with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, the League of Arab States’ Secretary-General Amr Moussa, French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner, and European Union (EU) foreign policy chief Javier Solana. The Secretary General also took part in a meeting late Monday of the Quartet, which comprises the United Nations, the United States, the EU, and Russia.--SPA www.spa.gov.sa/503988