U.S., European envoys start regional tour

An Arab official source told ArabicNews.com that the US and European envoys for the Middle East peace process will start a tour in the region soon that will include countries concerned with the peace process, including Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Israel and the Palestinian territories.

The source said that the tour will focus on means of reviving the peace process and negotiations on all tracks and that Dennis Ross and Miguel Moratinos are carrying important ideas, whether for the Syrian or the Palestinian tracks.

The source also stated that the two envoys are trying to persuade Israeli Prime Minister-elect Ehud Barak's coming government to resume the peace process on all tracks and to give priority to the agreements signed between the Palestinians and Israel to start seriously implementing them, which could give an indicator of Barak's government's seriousness as well as tempting the Syrians to return to negotiations according to the Madrid formula as it had during Yitzhak Rabin's era.