On the Arab League summit

All eyes are on Beirut? Yes, in as much as they were on Amman and Cairo when Arab leaders met for summits that were to address the same issues that will dominate the agenda of the Beirut conference on Wednesday: The Palestinian issue and Iraq.

It is already clear that the summit will produce no breakthrough in efforts to bridge the widening gap between Iraq and Kuwait.

On the Palestinian issue, however, the Arab leaders can make a difference. The Saudi peace initiative offers them a chance to succeed on a front where the Arab record has been less impressive: International public opinion.

The Saudi initiative will push (Israeli Prime Minister Ariel) Sharon into a corner. The Arab summit can tighten the noose around his political career by adopting the initiative without defeating its purpose by turning it into a detailed peace plan.

That's what the Arab leaders can, and should, do on Wednesday.

-- Jordan Times, Amman, Jordan