In a dramatic show of solidarity, world leaders vowed Wednesday to band together in a war on terrorism, tracking down the financial sources of the sponsors of carnage and "cutting them off."
The gathering of kings, sheiks, prime ministers, presidents and princes was a striking display of unity in response to anti-Israeli extremists who unleashed four suicide bombs, killing 62 people in nine bloody days. It brought ancient foes - Arabs and Israelis - together in a joint stand against terrorism.The historic symbolism was their very point.
The gathering yielded little in the way of new initiatives to combat extremists - Islamic or otherwise. The leaders designated a working group to seek more specific solutions.
"Now throughout the region, as well as the world, there are peacemakers who stand against terror," President Clinton said in a joint post-summit news conference with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak.
The leaders agreed to reinforce the Middle East peace process with security and financial assistance, Clinton said in describing the summit communique. Yet, the agreement was carefully crafted to avoid offending any parties in the volatile peace negotiations.
"Peace and security are two sides of the same coin," Clinton said, noting that the fate and prosperity of Israelis and its Arab neighbors are linked.
Mubarak said the 29 leaders reiterated "their profound commitment to the promotion of peace and security throughout the region."
But the delicacy of the summit task was underscored by how carefully Clinton and Mubarak addressed questions about the absence of Syria. Mubarak said Syria "has its own reasons" for staying away, yet he believed Hafez Assad was committed to the peace process. Clinton said, "I wouldn't overread their absence here."
In a sign of dissension, Mubarak suggested that Israel reconsider its closure of the Gaza Strip and West Bank. Clinton, who was heading to Israel late Wednesday, hinted that he will bring up the same point in talks with Israel Prime Minister Shimon Peres. "I expect to see some changes," Clinton said.
Palestinian Authority President Yasser Arafat said Israeli's border-closing was hurting his people "to the extent of famine."
To that end, Israeli Foreign Minister Ehud Barak said Israel would protect its own yet, "we are not intending to starve the people there." Peres demanded action against violence from the Palestinians, noting that "security and peace are indivisible."
One by one, the leaders promised to fight terrorism - even as they offered different views of the problem, few solutions and reminders of decades-old animosities that exist between many of the participants.
As the leaders fretted about terrorism, Israeli police reported that they received intelligence warnings that Hamas planned to carry out a fresh attack during Clinton's overnight visit Wednesday and Thursday.