Hopes Raised for Israeli and Arab Summit

The UN secretary general, Ban Ki-moon, raised the prospect yesterday of an international summit of Israeli, Palestinian and Arab leaders in an effort to restart Middle East peace negotiations.

Both Mr Ban and the US secretary of state, Condoleezza Rice, were in Jerusalem for talks with the Israeli prime minister, Ehud Olmert, and the Palestinian president, Mahmoud Abbas. The latest round of intense Middle East diplomacy, which marks Ms Rice's fourth visit to the Middle East in as many months, is seen as a new effort by the international community to address the decades-old conflict between Israel and the Palestinians.

The talks come ahead of a key meeting in Riyadh later this week when Arab leaders will relaunch the Arab peace initiative, which proposes that the Arab world give diplomatic recognition to Israel in return for a Palestinian state within the 1967 boundaries, with a capital in Jerusalem and with a "just solution" to the Palestinian refugee question.

Ms Rice said she hoped the initiative, first proposed in 2002 and rejected by Israel, could restart talks. "I hope that it will become a platform, a way for active diplomacy," she said after meeting Mr Abbas. "But the important thing is to get a conversation started about how we have the prospect of a political horizon for the Palestinian people and a political horizon of peace for Arabs and Israelis in general."

Mr Ban suggested that as part of that diplomacy Israeli and Palestinian leaders could be invited to attend the next meeting of the Quartet of Middle East negotiators - the US, the UN, the EU and Russia - which will be held in Egypt. Also to be invited would be Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan and the United Arab Emirates.

Even though many analysts on both sides of the conflict are doubtful that the latest round of diplomacy will produce concrete progress, an international summit that puts Israeli and Arab officials around the same table would be in itself a significant achievement.

"It is a very interesting, useful idea to consider. But we need more consultations," Mr Ban said. Israel has been reluctant to agree to such international meetings in the past, but yesterday Mr Olmert said he would "not hesitate to participate". However, the Israelis have also said the Saudis should drop discussion of the right of return for Palestinian refugees before talks can begin.

Separately yesterday, Palestinian journalists in Gaza staged a one-day strike to mark solidarity with the BBC Gaza correspondent Alan Johnston, kidnapped two weeks ago. He has been held longer than any other hostage in Gaza and the BBC has had no direct information about his condition or who his captors are, although indirect accounts have said he is well.