The US Secretary of State, Ms Madeleine Albright, left at least one of her hosts with a positive impression during her first Middle East visit. President Hosni Mubarak of Egypt said on Saturday after two hours of talks with Ms Albright in Alexandria that he saw hope for the collapsing peace process.
"All these statements [by Ms Albright] we consider very encouraging and everybody has the impression that there is hope for the process to move forward," he told a press conference, adding that discussions with the Americans would continue.
What appeared to give this hint of optimism were Ms Albright's statements that peace is "based on fulfilling mutual obligations and responsibilities", and that any permanent settlement in the region must therefore ensure both security for Israel and "recognition of the legitimate political rights of the Palestinian people".
This "should be based on UN Security Council resolutions 242 and 338, including the principle of land for peace", she told journalists. The Israeli Prime Minister, Mr Benjamin Netanyahu, has rejected the land-for-peace formula.
Many commentators, and most ordinary Egyptians, see Israel as the "spoiled child" of the US and do not expect the Americans to act against the Jewish state for its violations of the Oslo accords.
But prior to Ms Albright's visit, the local press warned that if she used the occasion to focus on purely Israeli concerns, she would have "truly buried the peace process". Thus it was to the relief of many that Saturday's discussions went beyond the oft-discussed subject of Israel's security and focused on the basic tenets of the peace process.
"I think the US Secretary of State has adopted a clear line in identifying matters with regard to obligations on both sides," said the Egyptian Foreign Minister, Mr Amr Moussa. "This is a sound approach."