Arabs 'to better market peace plan'

I chuckled as I read this story because there is nothing here that is new. No real strides have been made in trying to bring peace.

It just another attempt to cover their own totalitarian butts from the cold wind that Bush is blowing their way. That is not to say that I agree with everything that Dubya is doing or that I think that he is the greatest leader and bringer of democracy ever.

Rather it is that I acknowledge that some of these autocrats are coming to realize that if they do not make some operational changes in how they conduct their business they may find themselves out on the street.

But it would be wrong for me not to point out the Jordanian initiative and the response it received at the summit.

"ALGIERS, Algeria (AP) -- Arab leaders on Wednesday concluded a two-day summit with a decision to better market a 2002 peace plan for Israel by sending a committee to explain it to Europe, the United States and other nations.

The summit earlier rejected a Jordanian proposal to dramatically change the peace plan by offering Israel naturalized relations without it first returning lands occupied in 1967.

Instead, the Arab leaders stuck to the peace plan approved at a 2002 summit in Beirut offering relations with Israel only in exchange for its full withdrawal from occupied territory, the creation of a Palestinian state and settlement of the Palestinian refugee issue."

It is an intractable position that they are taking here and one that is doomed to failure. Without more compromise from them this is just not going to fly as the plan here does not acknowledge historical fact and real life conditions.

Sometimes I think that they are waiting with baited breath for a modern day Saladin.

What about including a promise to stop the incitement of violence against Israel that their own state run media provides. What about taking responsibility for a problem that exists in large part because they have conditioned their people to not accept Israel.

What about saying that they are going to help cut down on terrorism and then provide operational examples of how they intend to do that so that Israel can feel more secure in giving up land in a fashion that no other nation is asked to so in.

Instead they merely wave paper at the problem making it appear to be the sole province of one party instead of two. Not very impressive at all.