Cautiously optimistic, he adds: "I do hope this is a serious attempt to achieve a lasting peace."
Olav Fykse Tveit, the general secretary of the Church of Norway, shares the same approach: "I hope I am not mistaken, but I see Annapolis as the starting point of a process which seems to be more than just talking. There is a political dynamic, a willingness to make real progress."
For Younan, a Palestinian Christian, the success or failure of the Annapolis conference will depend on its implementation. "The experience has taught us that words and talks must be accompanied by tangible, visible changes on the ground."
Both Younan and Tveit are members of the core group of the Palestine Israel Ecumenical Forum, a new World Council of Churches initiative to increase advocacy for peace with justice in the region.
On Tuesday, Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas and Israeli prime minister Ehud Olmert met in Annapolis, Maryland, United States, at a conference hosted by US president George W. Bush and attended by representatives of more than 40 countries and international agencies.
