Amid the meetings

The socio-economic development of the entire Middle East is being bogged down by the stalemate that has afflicted the peace process. That peace process must again be kick- started. And if the log-jam is to be broken it must be done so by Arabs and Israelis together. Peace cannot be achieved by one side making concessions while the other refuses all compromise.

The Israelis have done no serious fence-mending since violence subsided following the unilateral truce declared by Palestinian factions three weeks ago. Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon allowed the construction of the separation fence to continue, effectively herding the Palestinians into open air prisons, akin to the Bantustans of apartheid South Africa. The West Bank and Gaza are being sealed off from the rest of the world.

Israel must relent and loosen its iron grip before the Palestinians are asked to arrest and disarm militants: there will, in any case, be no need for such action once Israel proves its goodwill.

The Arabs, for their part are angling, for a just peace. In a flurry of diplomatic activity Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas met with President Hosni Mubarak last Monday to review the situation in the Middle East.

Moderate Arab countries continue to be cautiously optimistic about the pace of the Middle East peace process picking-up.

Palestinian President Yasser Arafat, still forcibly confined to his West Bank compound in Ramallah, has given his blessing to Abu Mazen's forthcoming visit to Washington. And it is in Washington that the decision must be taken to exert more pressure on the Israelis to take the peace process seriously. Bush must prevail on the Israelis to release more Palestinian prisoners. He must also urge Sharon to withdraw his troops from the occupied territories.