UNITED NATIONS, Sept 26 (Reuters) - The "Quartet" of Middle East mediators said on Friday it favored holding an international meeting on the Israeli-Palestinian peace process in Moscow next spring.

"The Quartet expressed its intention to work closely with the parties in the important period ahead. The Quartet agreed that the spring of 2009 could be an appropriate time for an international meeting in Moscow," the group said in a statement after a meeting on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly.

Russia first floated the idea in November last year of hosting a Middle East conference, without specifying a date.

The Quartet grouping the United States, the European Union, Russia and the United Nations also called on Israel to freeze all settlement activity on Palestinian land, which it said is having "a damaging impact on the negotiating environment."

The Quartet also condemned acts of terrorism against Israelis, including rocket attacks from Palestinian territories, and stressed the need for further Palestinian efforts to fight terrorism. (Reporting by Haitham Haddadin and Matt Spetalnick; editing by Mohammad Zargham)

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