Saudi Arabia, the US embark on a joint strategy for peace

The New York Times on Wednesday quoted Saudi and American officials as saying that the US President George Bush and the Saudi crown prince Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz agreed during their meeting last week on a strategy of joint work and pressure in order to break the current stalemate in the Middle East crisis.

The paper quoted one official as saying that the two sides have agreed, as part of job distribution, that the Americans would talk bluntly with the Israeli prime minister Ariel Sharon during his visit on Sunday to Washington in order to end the cycle of violence.

Saudi and American officials said that the Arab leaders are expected to do the same during a meeting that might be held with the chairman of the Palestinian authority Yasser Arafat in Cairo.

A high ranking American official said "It is obvious that the United States has influence with Israel and the Saudis could use their influence" with Palestinians, the New York Times reported.

The New York Times said that the agreement which is not declared yet will bring together Arab and western leaders to cooperate with the aim to cease fire and complete Israeli withdrawal from the Palestinian areas to be followed by an invitation for both Sharon and Arafat to return back to negotiations with the aim of finding out a political settlement that will be conducive to the founding of a Palestinian state according to the steps drawn under the former US President Bill Clinton.

These negotiations might be held in a peace conference to be held by the US, Russia, and the European Union in Washington later this week as well as five Arab states which are Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Syria and Morocco.

Prominent Saudi and American officials said that the final decision about the conference is still under intensive discussions.