In the name of peace

U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell has said the right thing at the right time. By returning the U.S. to helping find peace in the Middle East, he has single-handedly given Israelis and Palestinians the chance for a new beginning.

Powell's speech was historic and significant. It struck a note of optimism that has been absent from a conflict used to broken ceasefires, suicide bombings and tit-for-tat reprisal attacks. Fear, hatred and security permeate a land paradoxically steeped in the religious teachings of peace and harmony.

Sending Assistant Secretary of State for Near East Affairs William Burns to restart peace talks, and retired Marine Corps Gen. Anthony Zinni to broker a truce, Washington has won justified praise from all spectrums of the divide. Even hardline Israeli leader Ariel Sharon seems enthusiastic at the prospect of talking peace.

The world has changed since the last time the U.S. tried to settle the decades-old dispute between Arabs and Jews. The terrible events in New York and Washington on Sept. 11 may well have their roots in the conflict and it is only proper that it is tackled side-by-side with the battle against the Taliban in Afghanistan and the search for Osama bin Laden. The same desire for a better life free of terror should be applied to the Middle East.

The terrorism on both sides of the Middle East conflict must cease and this can only be brought about by starting afresh and discarding the impasses that have always prevented progress in talks. A truce must be speedily agreed to and implemented and adhered to.

Only then can the contentious issues of boundaries and religious demands be contemplated and then ancient grudges must be forgotten so a future can be envisaged.

-- South China Morning Post, Hong Kong