Mitchell urges Arabs to take 'meaningful steps' toward peace

       US Mideast envoy George Mitchell on Thursday urged Arab states to take "meaningful steps and important actions" toward peace with Israel. Mitchell was speaking after talks with Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit in Cairo. Mitchell arrived in Cairo after meetings in Israel and the Palestinian territories over the last few days, and reiterated Washington's stance that a two-state solution was the only way to resolve the Middle East conflict. "We are working hard to achieve our objective, a comprehensive peace in the Middle East, including a Palestinian state living side by side in peace and security with Israel," Mitchell told reporters. This included "peace between Israel and its other immediate neighbors and full normalization of relations between Israel and all of the Arab nations as contemplated by the Arab peace initiative," he said. Mitchell also stressed the two sides' obligations under the 2003 Road Map peace plan that calls for a cessation of Palestinians violence and incitement, as well as Israeli settlement activity. "Israelis and Palestinians have responsibility to meet their obligations under the Road Map. It is not just their responsibility. We believe it is in their interest as well," he said. "As President [Barack] Obama said here in Cairo just last week, the Arab states have an important role to play ... We regard the Arab peace initiative as an important proposal that we are trying to integrate into our effort. "Proposing the initiative was just the beginning; it brings with it responsibilities to join in taking meaningful steps and important actions that will help us move towards our objective." But Aboul Gheit said that Arab states would take steps toward normalization once they saw Israel take its own "serious and real" steps. "Any Arab act must be matched by an act," Aboul Gheit said in answer to a question on what exactly was meant by "meaningful Arab steps." (16,55)