Cairo paper sees tripartite Arab summit

For probably as long as anyone can remember in the near past, the issue of peace has topped the agenda of discussion in the Middle East's sociopolitical and economic arenas.

Peace has been linked to economic and social development, to promoting inter-Arab cooperation and normalization of relations between Arab countries and Israel.

But while the Arabs have been pushing for a just and comprehensive end to the long-standing tension between Israel and its neighbors, Israel has simply been pushy.

In short, the only tangible manifestation of its commitment to peace has been the freedom with which it slings the slogans of peace and nomenclature of normalization.

However, the tripartite summit between Egypt, Jordan and the Palestinian National Authority... has left Israel with what should be a clear understanding of the Arab concept of peace.

It is a united endeavor, one built upon the principles of understanding, cooperation and compromise, not conditionality as Peres would have the world believe.

The main accomplishment of this summit was that Israel will no longer have the chance to employ its divide-and-conquer strategy of policy manipulation.

The final status negotiations are now under way and Arafat, backed by King Hussein and President Hosni Mubarak is armed not by rhetoric but with the strength of his convictions and the knowledge that should peace be finally realized there will be no losers, only partners.

-- Al-Ahram Weekly, Cairo