Mandela to push for Mid-East accord

Mr Mandela promised to contact world leaders

Former South African President Nelson Mandela has pledged to contact world leaders in an attempt to break the continuing deadlock between Israel and the Palestinians.

Mr Mandela was responding to an appeal from Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat who had made a surprise visit to South Africa after a whistle-stop tour of Arab countries.

I am prepared to go the whole hog to help

Nelson Mandela

But the elder statesman turned down an invitation from Mr Arafat to mediate, saying achieving peace in the Middle East had to be a collective effort.

Mr Arafat also met the current South African President, Thabo Mbeki, and won formal support for his plan to declare a Palestinian state next month - with or without a deal with Israel.

"Everybody who advised the postponement, which carried risks, has a moral obligation, a political obligation, now to respond in the same way that the Palestinian authority responded to our request," Mr Mbeki said, in reference to Mr Arafat's flexibility last year over Palestinian statehood.

'Important process'

The BBC correspondent in Johannesburg says this was undoubtedly the sort of message Mr Arafat was hoping to hear from South Africa in its capacity as head of the Non-Aligned Movement.

Mr Mbeki backed Mr Arafat's plan to declare a Palestinian state

The Palestinian leader told reporters after his talks that a 13 September declaration of statehood would be a legitimate step, as peace negotiations with Israel were to have been concluded by that date.

The two sides' latest attempt to secure a final peace deal by a mid-September deadline broke down last week at Camp David outside Washington, with the future of Jerusalem apparently the main stumbling block.

Mr Arafat said: "We are in need of his [Mandela's] help and continuous efforts in this very important process in Palestine."

Mandela pledge

But Mr Mandela said he could not single-handedly break the impasse.

He did add, however: "I am prepared to go the whole hog to help."

He said he would call US President Bill Clinton and the leaders of Britain, France, Egypt and Saudi Arabia and urge them to work together to get the Middle East talks back on track.

Last year, he proposed a three-point peace plan for the region.

Mr Mandela is already mediating in Burundi to try to end one of Africa's most brutal civil wars.

And he was instrumental last year in persuading Libya to hand over two suspects wanted in connection with the Lockerbie bombing in return for an easing of sanctions on Tripoli.