PARIS, July 29: Israeli Foreign Minister Shimon Peres on Monday backed the speedy organization of an international conference on Middle East peace that would bring Arab, EU and US officials to the negotiating table.

Peres said conference invitees should include Israel, the Palestinians, the so-called diplomatic “quartet” — the European Union, Russia, the United Nations and the United States — as well as Egypt, Jordan and Saudi Arabia.

Speaking to journalists after meeting French Foreign Minister Dominique de Villepin, Peres did not rule out inviting other Arab nations to the conference.

“If, for example, the Moroccans wanted to participate, it would be a pleasure,” Peres noted.

Earlier, after talks with French President Jacques Chirac, the dovish Peres said he backed the president’s call to organize a conference in the short term.

When asked when it could take place, Peres said: “Quicker would be better.”

Peres was in the French capital ahead of a trip to Washington for meetings with US officials amid increased diplomatic activity in recent days aimed at breaking the impasse between the Jewish state and the Palestinians.

Paris has pushed for an international Middle East conference at the ministerial level, with Chirac hammering the point home in talks last week with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and Jordan’s King Abdullah II.

Peres has said that the “quartet” — now advising Palestinian officials on the reforms expected of them by the international community — would play a vital role in peace talks, especially by harmonizing EU and US positions.

Chirac and Peres also discussed international concerns about the worsening humanitarian crisis in the Palestinian territories.

At the weekend, Israel confirmed it was increasing the number of work permits for Palestinians to 12,000 from 7,000.—AFP