UN Secretry-General Ban Ki- moon on Friday called for efforts to speedily break a stalemate in Israeli-Palestinian peace process and return the parties to "meaningful negotiations."

"We cannot afford to lose any further time to reach an Israeli-Palestinian framework agreement," Ban said while addressing the opening of the 2011 session of the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People.

"We need to move beyond the current stalemate and return the parties to meaningful negotiations aimed at resolving all permanent status issues and achieving a historic agreement," he said.

"The target dates supported by the Quartet for reaching an agreement on permanent status, and for completion of the Palestinian Authority's two-year statebuilding program, will be upon us in eight months," said the secretary-general, noting the important roles of the Quartet and the Arab Peace Initiative.

The Quartet, which groups the United Nations, the European Union, the United States and Russia, was established in Madrid in 2002 in order to undertake diplomatic efforts for the two-state solutions -- a secure Israel to live in peace with an independent Palestinian State.

Ban said that the past year has brought renewed confidence within the international community in the ability of the Palestinians to govern themselves.

But the secretary-general remains "concerned" by the situation in and around Gaza, "even though 2010 saw reduced levels of violence overall, the recent escalation of rocket attacks by Palestinians and Israeli air strikes have the potential to spiral out of control."

The secretary-general called on all parties to demonstrate responsibility, de-escalate tensions, and fully ensure the protection of civilians.

The Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People can make a "positive contribution" to this mission, Ban said.

The commission was set up by the UN General Assembly to promote the realization of internationally recognized Palestinian rights. The committee monitors the situation related to the question of Palestine and reports to the General Assembly or the Security Council.

In recent years, the committee has also focused on supporting the Israeli-Palestinian peace process.