Peace proposal presented as Arab summit in disarray

BEIRUT, Lebanon -- Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah presented his proposal for a comprehensive land-for-peace pact with Israel, aiming to unite Arabs behind it Wednesday despite disarray that plagued the tumultuous opening day of an Arab summit.

Key players didn't show up for the gathering of Arab leaders in the Lebanese capital; the Palestinians walked out when Yasser Arafat was not allowed to speak; and the No. 2 Saudi delegate suffered a stroke. During a break between sessions, officials tried to keep the Palestinian delegation -- said to have collected its passports at the hotel desk -- from departing.

Still, Arafat welcomed Abdullah's call for the Arab world to offer Israel "normal relations" and security in return for a full withdrawal from Arab lands captured in 1967, recognition of a Palestinian state with east Jerusalem as a capital and the right of return for Palestinian refugees.

The White House praised the Saudi royal's "leadership" in making the overture. President Bush "urges other leaders to build on the crown prince's ideas to address the cause of peace in the troubled region," spokeswoman Claire Buchan said.

Cool reception

But Israel was cool to the initiative. Aides to Prime Minister Ariel Sharon said the term "normal relations" was too vague and rejected any right of return for refugees. Sharon has also rejected any full withdrawal from occupies territories.

If adopted by the Arab summit, Abdullah's proposal would be the clearest comprehensive peace offer by the Arab world to Israel. But the initiative could see some changes as a league committee turns it into a formal proposal. Syrian President Bashar Assad welcomed the proposal but said he would propose some alterations, insisting it needed to be "fortified" before approval.

The crown prince made some changes of his own from the ideas he first floated last month in comments to The New York Times, adding the reference to the right of return, a long-standing Arab demand.

He also slightly changed his offer to Israel to "normal relations" instead of "full normalization," the term he initially used. Israel's Ranaan Gissin said the new term could mean only formal recognition between governments, instead of warmer trade, tourism and cultural exchanges implied by "normalization."

Still, Abdullah appeared to have so far resisted pressure from Syria and other hardline states to water down the wording to an even vaguer phrasing of "a comprehensive peace." In the past, Arabs have used normal relations and normalization to mean exchanging ambassadors, trade and cultural exchanges and other ties typical of amicable neighbors.

In a 10-minute speech that brought applause from the delegations, Abdullah said: "I tell the Israeli people that if their government gives up the policy of force and suppression and accepts genuine peace, we will not hesitate in accepting the Israeli people's right to live in security with the rest of the people in the region."