Pope praises Mideast peace efforts

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) -- Pope John Paul on Thursday praised recent advances by Israel and the Palestinians in the search for a lasting peace in the Middle East, but warned there was still much work to be done.

"Although there have been positive developments in recent times, these are arduous days in the long and difficult path towards a solution of the many still unresolved problems affecting that unsettled region," he said as he received Egypt's new ambassador to the Holy See.

"No efforts must be spared in fostering a genuine and impartial solution which respects the rights and legitimate aspirations of all the peoples involved," he added.

Israeli and Palestinian officials are trying to agree a date for a new peace summit at which they hope to settle their remaining differences, principally over the fate of Jerusalem.

But U.S. President Bill Clinton, having met separately with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak and Palestinian President Yasser Arafat at the United Nations' Millennium summit in New York on Wednesday, has failed to break an impasse between the two.

In receiving the new Egyptian ambassador, Farouk Hussein Raafat, the 80-year-old Pontiff lauded Egypt's role in supporting the peace process.

"Today, Egypt occupies a central place among the nations seeking to bring a just and lasting peace to the Middle East," the Pope said.

"I am grateful for what your country and in particular President (Hosni) Mubarak have done to ensure that the horrors of war and its futility are averted and that peace based on justice prevails after so many years of sorrow."

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