U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon returned to the U.N. headquarters in New York City on Monday, calling his 11-day trip to the Middle East very hectic but rewarding, as a number of regional issues were discussed, including Palestinian peace, Darfur, Somalia, and the creation of an international tribunal for Lebanon. Arab leaders are determined to visit this Palestinian issue again as a foundation for establishing a good relationship and peace between Israel and Arab countries, and particularly between Israel and the Palestinian authorities, Ban told reporters. While Ban was in Riyadh, Arab leaders re-launched a Saudi-drafted peace plan, which calls for peace between the Arab world and Israel as long as refugees are allowed to return to the Palestinian territories, Jerusalem is established as the capital of a Palestinian state, and that the 1967 borders of the country are recognized. Ban spoke with all sides of the Middle East conflict, in particular with Palestinian unity government Foreign Minister Ziad Abu Amr, who assured him that his government will continue to work to meet the expectations of the international community, said Ban. The secretary-general suggested that the new Palestinian unity government, comprised of members of the Hamas and Fatah parties, may need to take time for them to make their own positions coordinated among themselves. While in Lebanon, Ban was concerned with the division of opinion among Lebanese government leaders, and urged them to engage in dialogue. He also stressed the importance of establishing a tribunal of an international character to try the suspects in the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri. During his trip, Ban also worked on African issues. He noted that the mini-summit on Somalia called by Saudi Foreign Minister Saud Al-Faisal in Riyadh was very useful in order to discuss the prospects for peace for the Horn of Africa nation.
