A new Middle East peace conference

Well-informed political sources told the Lebanese daily al-Mustaqbal on Saturday that there are western diplomatic contacts with each of Syria and Lebanon in order to convene a new international conference for the Middle East and the attempt made by the international four- member group to return back to the meeting once again by the beginning of May in Washington in order to promote efforts to convene this meeting which will be called Madrid 2.

The sources said that contacts are being made between the US and the UN on one side and with Damascus on the other to convene a meeting in Syria aiming at clarifying the picture on the outcome of convening the conference after Syria had announced it will not accept convening any conference before investigating in the Israeli massacres in the occupied territories.

The sources said that what would convince Syria and Lebanon to take part in this conference is the existence of conditions and of certain and clear conditions based on the basics of the Madrid conference for peace and to the Arab peace initiative because the two countries are hesitant to take part at the meantime, of fears that the new conference will be a cover for a certain situation that will be conducive to that the Arab side will give more concessions to Israel.