Over the weekend French Foreign Minister Dominique de Villepin travelled nearly 15,000 kilometers (9,300 miles), urging the leaders of Egypt, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia and Syria to throw their weight behind regional peace efforts.

In Cairo de Villepin called on Arabs to "keep the faith", vowing the international community was "more than ever ready to mobilize" in support of a comprehensive peace agreement for the Middle East.

France, an outspoken opponent of the US-led war in Iraq, now finds itself in a difficult position: pleased that Saddam Hussein's regime has crumbled but out in the cold for the postwar reconstruction process due to its anti-war stance.

De Villepin's strategy is to kickstart talks on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict as a vital step toward regional peace, thereby countering widespread anger in the region caused by a perceived double standard: that while the United States invaded Iraq because Baghdad failed to adhere to UN resolutions, Israel's violations are ignored.

"I know how great is the feeling of pain and injustice felt today by the Arab world," he said in Cairo, outlining a five-step plan for peace between Israel and the Palestinians based on the internationally-backed "roadmap".

He called for the blueprint, drafted by the European Union, Russia, the United Nations and the United States, to be enacted without delay, followed by a truce that he said Paris was ready to enforce and a referendum on peace.

Palestinian public services would then take more responsibility for daily operations, with international help if needed. A peace conference would follow, with the process culminating with the creation of a Palestinian state.

France is "convinced that despite the din of weapons fire, there is a real sense of urgency and an opportunity to seize" to secure a peaceful future for the region, de Villepin said.

All Arab countries would have to accept Israel and vice-versa, de Villepin said, but officials in the region showed they were skeptical about that aspect of the plan.

According to the minister's aides, Syria "clearly sees the risk it runs by lagging behind", but Syrian Foreign Minister Faruq al-Shara threw cold water on de Villepin's plan by threatening Israel during a joint press conference.

Paris also hopes to convince Iran and Israel to come around to his point of view, but Israel has already said it wants to make several changes to the roadmap.

Despite France's current position on the outside looking in with respect to Iraq, de Villepin continued to hammer home the importance of a central role for the United Nations in the complicated postwar phase.

De Villepin is convinced that the United States will need the help of the international community, and the Arab world, to rebuild war-ravaged Iraq.

"You can win a war alone, but you can't win peace alone," he said.

He also called for an end to the escalating war of words between the United States and Syria, insisting that Damascus has a "significant role to play" in any settlement for Iraq's future.

The United States has accused Syria of harboring chemical weapons, hiding Iraq's weapons of mass destruction, supplying Baghdad with arms to fight US troops and providing a safe haven to members of Saddam's ousted regime.

But so as not to ruffle any more feathers in Washington, the French minister avoided any overt criticism of US officials, instead saying: "The spirit of dialogue, discussion and openness is indispensable as we look to the future."

SPACE.WIRE