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Peace in the Middle East?
| quote: | Mideast Leaders Promise to Halt Violence
46 minutes ago
By RAMIT PLUSHNICK-MASTI, Associated Press Writer
SHARM EL SHEIK, Egypt - In a crucial step heralded as a fresh start to peacemaking, Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon (news - web sites) and Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas promised Tuesday to halt all acts of violence and agreed to meet again soon to tackle the tougher issues that for decades have blocked the road to peace.
Even if their cease-fire pledge sticks, much negotiating lies ahead as the two sides work to rebuild the trust destroyed in four years of deadly attacks.
"What we agreed upon today is simply the beginning of the process of bridging the gap," Abbas said after his first face-to-face meeting with Sharon since succeeding Yasser Arafat (news - web sites). The Palestinian leader made clear the two sides have yet to wade into more fundamental issues, including control of Jerusalem and "the settlements, the release of prisoners, the wall."
The speeches by the two leaders at this Egyptian resort, broadcast live on Israeli and Arab TV stations, were greeted with a mixture of hope and skepticism on a cold, rainy day back home. Many people said they would settle for modest improvements in their daily lives.
"We've gone from euphoria to extreme disappointment," said Shimrit Golan, an Israeli law student who lives in Jerusalem. "We'll wait and see what happens."
"I hope the leaders are serious this time, because the future is dark," said Raed Omar, a university student in Gaza City.
The militant group Hamas threw up an immediate roadblock, saying it was waiting to hear from Abbas and to see what Israel would do before committing to a halt in violence.
Yet the verbal cease-fire pledge and the sight of Abbas and Sharon grinning broadly as they shook hands across a summit table were the clearest signs yet of a new life for the peace process after Arafat's death in November and Abbas' election in January.
One Israeli official, Gideon Meir, said "there was a great atmosphere in the talks ... smiles and joking." In another sign the talks went well, Egypt and Jordan announced they would return their ambassadors to Israel after a four-year absence — possibly within days.
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tm.../mideast_summit
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Will it last?
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