However, there was a semblance of progress when Arafat, while in Putin's office, spoke to Barak by telephone and the two men agreed to resume Palestinian-Israeli security coordination on the ground and revive the work of 10 joint liaison offices. Consultations continued between Cairo and Washington, despite the fact that the peace process has been put on the back burner. The outgoing US administration has all but lost hope of crowning eight years of President Bill Clinton's mediation in the Middle East with a final peace agreement. Egypt's regional role does not hinge on whether we have an ambassador in one country or another. After meeting Arafat on Saturday, Mubarak discussed the explosive situation in the region with Lebanon's Al-Hariri.
Nobody talks about peace and kills children.
Israel's bombing of Palestinians complicates matters and destroys peace. The next day, Egypt and Jordan, the only Arab countries which signed peace agreements with Israel in 1979 and 1994 respectively, compared notes on how to stem the bloodshed during a meeting between Mubarak and King Abdullah. Amman has delayed dispatching its new ambassador to Tel Aviv, who was named last month, in an indication of its disapproval of Israeli policies.