ARAB LEAGUE PLAN

THE suggestion in this space on Tuesday that we might be about to see a glimmer of hope for progress in Israeli-Palestinian relations was borne out by the outcome of the Arab League summit meeting in Riyadh which ended last night. The final communique expressed the unanimous support of the 22 Arab states taking part for a Saudia Arabian peace plan offering a basis for an end to long-standing Israeli-Palestinian hostility. Under the Saudi proposal all Arab League members would undertake to recognise Israel for the first time and guarantee its security in return for Israel's withdrawal to its 1967 borders and recognition of the state of Palestine. Of course, within those two simply-stated conditions there are any number of difficult issues for both sides, among them the question of the status of East Jerusalem. Nonetheless, the proposed deal is sufficiently balanced to provide a starting point for negotiations and it was encouraging to hear Israel's deputy prime minister, Shimon Peres, respond immediately by saying, “Let's negotiate. You come with your positions and we will come with ours. I don't think we need to predetermine what we accept or don't accept. Each side should come with their own positions and negotiate from there.” The recent emergence of Saudi Arabia as a leading actor in the Israeli-Palestinian dispute, first seen in the formation of the Palestinian government of national unity, is encouraging and could help to energise an otherwise stagnant situation.