JERUSALEM: Israel said Sunday it welcomes a call from the international peacemaking Quartet for the restart of peace talks, expressing some "concerns" but urging the Palestinians to begin negotiations "without delay."

"Israel welcomes the Quartet's call for direct negotiations between the parties without preconditions, as called for by both [U.S.] President [Barack] Obama and Prime Minister [Benjamin] Netanyahu," a statement from the premier's office said.

"While Israel has some concerns, it will raise them at the appropriate time. Israel calls on the Palestinian Authority to do the same and to enter into direct negotiations without delay."

The statement was the first official reaction from the Israeli government to the call from the peacemaking Quartet on Sept. 23 for the resumption of direct talks between Israel and the Palestinians.

The international grouping, made up of the European Union, Russia, the United Nations and the United States, urged the two sides to return to talks within a month, with the goal of reaching a deal before the end of 2012.

But the call was loosely worded, imposing no explicit preconditions or parameters for the talks and making reference to a string of previous peace proposals, speeches and United Nations resolutions.

With ample scope for interpretation, Israel and the Palestinians have taken widely different positions on what the Quartet meant.

Israel made clear in the Sunday statement that it saw the grouping as calling for negotiations without preconditions.

But the Palestinians, who insist that they will not join negotiations without a settlement freeze and clear parameters for the talks, say they see the Quartet call as supporting their preconditions.

Among the documents referenced by the Quartet is the 2003 "Road Map," which called for the cessation of violence and a halt to Israeli settlement construction.

The Palestinians say the reference is a clear sign that the Quartet expects Israel to halt Jewish construction in the occupied West Bank, including east Jerusalem, for talks to begin.

And they note that the grouping also references a May speech by Obama, which said the lines that existed before the 1967 Six Day War should form the basis for negotiations on borders.

The reference to the speech, the Palestinians say, shows the Quartet also backs their call for clear parameters for peace talks.

On Saturday, Palestinian negotiator Nabil Shaath urged the Quartet to more explicitly seek a settlement freeze, particularly in the wake of Israel's decision to approve the construction of 1,100 new homes in the east Jerusalem settlement neighborhood of Gilo.

"The Quartet must clearly now, after Mr. Netanyahu's announcement of the 1,100 units, say what it understands the terms of reference to be, and having done that, we want Mr. Netanyahu to say he accepts," Shaath told reporters.

"We are not going back to negotiations unless there is a total stop to settlements," he added.