US says Mid-East peace efforts should focus on business and economics

US commerce secretary William Daley wednesday announced in Washington he will host a second meeting of Israeli, Jordanian and Palestinian trade ministers during his upcoming visit to the region with President Clinton, declaring that Middle East peace efforts need to focus more on the region's economic growth, to further promote regional economic cooperation.

Daley will also meet with business leaders on the Bethlehem 2000 project aimed at rebuilding the city in the new millennium.

The US official's meeting with the business leaders will seek to ensure a broad US private sector participation in the millennium event.

Daley, who returned from a five-day fact finding tour of the Middle East last month, is the first US cabinet member to visit the region to reinforce the economic aspects of the Wye agreement. He said in a conference under the theme "from bombs to business: the next phase in the Middle East process" that the next phase, to be launched during the president's trip Dec.13-14, will seek to capitalize on the more positive climate for real economic growth created by the Wye agreement."There are still differences between Israelis and Palestinians, but Wye has pointed to more dialogue and compromise," Daley said. He emphasized the need for a greater focus on the region's economic growth, stressing that "when all is said and done, it is economic stability, and it is jobs that will bring a lasting pace." "As important as politics is to the region, without jobs and economic security, no peace will take hold," he said.

During his five day trip last month, Daley visited Egypt, Jordan, the Palestinian autonomous territories (Gaza and the West bank), and became the first US commerce secretary to visit lebanon, which has launched a $ 13 billion reconstruction program following years of civil strife.