ElBaradei sees glimmer of hope for Mideast peace

The head of the UN nuclear agency said Tuesday that despite a sense of insecurity in the Middle East and in other world trouble spots, a glimmer of hope exists that could bring peace between the Arabs and Israel and elsewhere. Mohamed ElBaradei, an Egyptian, said since Israel has agreed for the first time that the Palestinians should have a state, and the Arabs conditionally agreed in 2002 to have full, normal relations with Israel, the time has come to move forward. True regional peace, ElBaradei said in an annual lecture on peace at the University of Maryland dedicated to fellow Egyptian Anwar Sadat, would lead not only to an Israeli-Palestinian settlement but also to stability in Iraq and Lebanon; settled relations among Iran, the Arabs and the West; and development, good governance and modernity throughout the region.