President Thabo Mbeki is to go on a “working visit” to the troubled Middle East, Foreign Affairs Deputy Minister Aziz Pahad said today, confirming that the President had accepted an invitation to visit the region.

During a state visit last week, the President of the Palestinian Authority Mahmoud Abbas made a clear request for support from South Africa saying "your participation and advice, is essential under these complex and difficult circumstances, and we are confident that, with our dear friend President Mbeki and members of his government, we can reach a common position, through which we can push towards reviving the peace process in our region".

In a move seen by many as promoting peace and democracy in that country, Abbas swore in the militant Hamas political formation into government, a day before he traveled to South Africa, following its recent election victory. Briefing the media in Pretoria yesterday, Deputy Minister Pahad said due to the outcome of the elections in Israel last week, which saw the newly-formed Kadima party emerge as the dominant political party, it was “clear for the first time in Israeli history that there is a possibility of a coalition government”.

“Now that the Hamas are attempting to form a coalition government, this is a success story…everybody needs a peaceful solution,” he noted. Pahad said these positive developments, both in Israel and Palestine presented an opportunity for the two countries “to move jointly in finding peace in the region”.

He praised the recently held Arab summit, for having taken a firm stand on helping the Israeli and Palestine governments, especially the Palestinians themselves, to find peace.

The Deputy Minister indicated that South Africa was working on a particular framework for the Middle East, which supported the Oslo Agreement and the United Nations resolution on the regional impasse.

The Olson Agreement was entered into between representatives for the Palestinian people, and the state of Israel in September 1995, in Washington, US, by the late Arafat, the former Israeli prime minister, Yitzhak Rabin and the former president of the United States, Bill Clinton.

This agreement was a follow up to the Oslo Agreement struck in 1993, the first peace agreement between Israel and Palestine, and served as a continuation of the fragile peace process of the Middle East.