Arabs seek Mid-East peace revival

The league hopes the proposals will ease tensions

By Heba Saleh BBC Cairo correspondent

As the violence between Israel and the Palestinians soars to new heights, Arab League foreign ministers are meeting in Cairo on Saturday to discuss Saudi proposals for Middle East peace.

The main element of the Saudi plan is for the Arab world to collectively offer to normalise relations with Israel in exchange for a full Israeli withdrawal from Arab lands.

The Arabs are hoping their offer of peace will generate pressure on Israel and help re-launch diplomatic efforts to end 18 months of bloodshed

The as yet unpubished proposals already have the support of most Arab governments.

The unpublished Saudi proposals, which have been welcomed as a faint glimmer of hope in an otherwise bleak situation, are expected to dominate the meeting.

Speaking hours before the formal opening of the talks, the Saudi foreign minister said the initiative built on United Nations resolutions about the Arab-Israeli conflict and on established Arab positions.

Arab officials see it as a reminder to the world and to the Israeli public that peace is possible if they regain their rights.

Generate pressure

The Saudi proposals are the re-working of an old idea - full peace for a full Israeli withdrawal from Arab lands.

Crown Prince Abdullah is the author of the plan

Key countries in the region, such as Egypt and Syria, have already endorsed the Saudi ideas.

They are almost certain to be adopted as a collective position by Arab leaders at the summit in Beirut later in the month.

The Arabs are hoping their offer of peace will generate pressure on Israel and help re-launch diplomatic efforts to end 18 months of bloodshed.

At the moment, peace still appears a distant prospect, and it is still too early to gauge the potential impact of the Saudi plan.

All the same, the ministers assembled in Cairo are likely to take heart from America's sudden decision to send its envoy, Anthony Zinni, back to the Middle East to work on securing a ceasefire leading to peace talks.