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Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/cifamerica/2008/sep/17/middleeast.usforeignpolicy
Multilateral Negotiations: The Forgotten Path to Middle East Peace
[Guardian-UK] Ben Lowenberg - There is a dormant track of the Middle East peace process that offers a regional approach to the challenges: multilateral negotiations. The international conference in Madrid in 1991 established the foundation for the Middle East peace process. The U.S. and the Soviet Union convened the conference as the first step in a process to resolve the Arab-Israeli conflict, initiate bilateral negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians and Arab states, and begin multilateral negotiations on transnational issues confronting the Middle East. At a subsequent conference in Moscow the following year, the 36 participants organized the multilateral track into five working groups to focus on particular regional issues: arms control and regional security, water issues, environment, refugees and economic development. Today, restarting the multilateral working groups offers a chance to reinvigorate the stagnant peace process. Moreover, the issues the working groups address are more relevant than ever.