Testing times

By Naguib Mahfouz

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The agreement reached at the Sharm El-Sheikh conference represents a test for all concerned, not least for the United States, where the administration has stated publicly that the Middle East will be at the top of the agenda of Bush's second term in office.

All the parties attending Sharm El-Sheikh reached an agreement, and they did so in front of the world. The international media buzzed with the news of a new beginning to negotiations, and pundits wrote endlessly about the importance of peace in the region.

So what will the US do? Will it let this agreement be wrecked by one side or the other, as has been the fate of all previous agreements. Will Washington content itself, as it has so often, with standing on the sidelines condemning one side or heaping blame on the other? Now, surely, is the moment Washington shoulders its responsibilities as a great power and prevents such a collapse.

The agreement is also a test for Israel and the new Palestinian leadership. Will Sharon's government carry out its obligations, bringing an end to assassinations and withdrawing from the territories it has occupied since Sharon came to power? Or will it renege on everything it promised at Sharm El-Sheikh as soon as the first bombing takes place?

Sharm El-Sheikh is the first real test of Mahmoud Abbas's abilities. Will he be able to impose himself and take control of the situation, or will other Palestinian factions wrest control away from him? Only time will tell.

Based on an interview by Mohamed Salmawy.