World leaders who gathered in the Egyptian resort city of Sharm el-Sheikh for an international conference on Iraq focused on another Mideast issue early Tuesday - the peace process between Israel and the Palestinians.
The so-called Quartet of sponsors of a peace plan known as the Road Map met for breakfast on the fringes of the Iraq conference.
US Secretary of State Colin Powell, on one of his last trips in his post, took part in the meeting a day after holding talks in Israel and the Palestinian territories.
Meanwhile, even when the Iraq conference officially opened Tuesday, Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit indicated he felt the Israeli-Arab conflict was as much a threat to the region as Iraq's instability.
"Efforts to achieve stability in Iraq cannot be separated from strenuous efforts to achieve peace in the Middle East," Abu Gheit said in the opening address, calling for a quick resolution of "the Palestine question."
Joining Powell at Tuesday's early meeting were U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan, EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.
Annan said the coming Palestinian elections provide an opportunity to revive the Middle East peace process, adding that Israel is ready for such a step. "We are all encouraged," Annan said, adding the U.N. would provide election monitors. "There is an opportunity to move ahead with the road map," Annan said. (Albawaba.com)
