LONDON, 2 March 2005 — World powers yesterday demanded immediate Palestinian action to catch those behind a Tel Aviv bombing that broke a fragile cease-fire with Israel.

A statement by the Middle East Quartet — the European Union, Russia, the United Nations and the United States — urged “further and sustained” Palestinian moves against terrorism.

The Quartet met on the sidelines of a London meeting on Palestinian reform clouded by Friday’s bombing of a Tel Aviv night club, in which five people were killed.

“We are very upset at the Quartet statement,” said a Palestinian official who asked not to be identified. He said the Palestinians had condemned the bombing, but Israeli travel restrictions were hampering efforts by Palestinian security services to find the perpetrators. “They (Quartet members) are putting security as the first approach as if they want the occupied Palestinians to give security to their Israeli occupiers,” the official said. The bombing had undermined the truce declared by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon.

The London meeting, attended by Arab and European foreign ministers as well as Quartet members, told Israelis and Palestinians to meet their obligations under a peace road map to ensure creation of a Palestinian state alongside Israel.

A draft statement offered Palestinians support for security forces trying to stop attacks on Israelis, for parliamentary elections and for efforts to ensure order when Israel pulls settlers from the occupied Gaza Strip.

In return the Palestinians vowed to pursue security reforms, hold elections on schedule in July and fight corruption.

The aim of the meeting, hosted by British Prime Minister Tony Blair, was to back efforts by Abbas to implement reforms, halt violence and resume peacemaking with Israel after the death last year of veteran Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat.

Israel stayed away from the London meeting, anxious to avoid international pressure to resume early peace talks.

The London statement said the path to peace required direct talks leading to “a safe and secure Israel and a sovereign, independent, viable, democratic and territorially contiguous Palestine, living side by side in peace and security”.

US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said her point man on Palestinian security reform, Lt. Gen. William Ward, would move to the region, where he will coordinate security contacts between the two sides.

A Palestinian official said Ward was welcome. “We need him to be a witness to the actions of both sides,” Mejdi Al-Khaldi, an aide to Foreign Minister Nasser Al-Kidwa, said.

Abbas told the meeting that reforms must be backed by peace negotiations with Israel, saying security efforts could collapse unless supported by a “serious political track”.

Saudi Ambassador to Britain Prince Turki Al-Faisal said Riyadh would continue to support the Palestinian people. The Kingdom has given more than $230 million to the Palestinian Authority in financial aid during the past two years.

“We’ll not fail to fulfill our commitments to the Palestinian Authority and at the same time hope that our future assistance to the Palestinians will not be destroyed by Israeli tanks, F16s and bulldozers,” he told the conference.