CAIRO, May 30: US Middle East envoy William Burns lamented on Thursday the worsening “daily humiliations” Palestinians suffer under Israeli occupation, while saying there has been too much death on both sides.

Burns was speaking here on the first stop of a mission to help launch President George W. Bush’s three-track strategy to end 20 months of Palestinian-Israeli violence and revive negotiations for a final settlement.

Burns, assistant secretary of state for Near East affairs, told journalists after a meeting with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, that “there has been too much suffering and too much death for both Israelis and Palestinians.

“The humanitarian problem, the daily humiliations that ordinary Palestinians suffer under occupation are getting worse every day.

“It’s time for all of us to try very hard to restore a sense of hope,” he said. “We have no illusions about the difficulties involved; this will be very very hard.”

He said he had emphasized to Mubarak “the very strong commitment of President Bush to a comprehensive strategy toward the Palestinian-Israeli crisis” along three tracks.

Burns said he was working on two tracks, one to renew a “serious political process aimed at a two-state solution” and the other to “support Palestinian efforts to build strong institutions in preparation for statehood”.

He said Central Intelligence Agency chief George Tenet would arrive in the region soon to work on the third track of establishing “effective Palestinian performance on security”, he said.

Bush has repeatedly called on Arafat to stop Palestinian suicide bombings against Israeli civilians and tried to enlist the help of Arab allies in stopping “terrorism” and restructuring the Palestinian Authority.

Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Maher, who sat in on the talks with Burns on Thursday after meeting him separately upon his arrival a day earlier, said Israel was beginning to realize that a political solution was needed.

In the past, Egypt has complained that Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon sought a military solution to the problem with the Palestinians.

Asked if he was more optimistic after 20 months of conflict, Maher replied: “I think there are reasons to be less pessimistic.”

Burns left Mubarak’s presidential palace to fly to Tel Aviv on Thursday. He is expected to meet Sharon in Israel and Arafat in the Palestinian territories.

He will also travel to Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Syria and Lebanon.

Tenet is expected to leave Washington on Friday.

Burns said Tenet and he would return to Washington before Mubarak travels to Camp David early next month for talks with the US president.

European Union foreign policy chief Javier Solana also met Mubarak on Thursday as he prepared to make a regional tour of his own in support of the US “three-track” strategy.—AFP