THE UNITED STATES reasserted its primacy in Middle East diplomacy with the announcement of a ceasefire between Israel and the Hizbullah guerrillas, capping an intensive week long mediating mission by the US Secretary of State, Mr Warren Christopher.
The agreement was seen as an achievement for Mr Christopher, who managed to outshine diplomats from France, Russia and other countries in their bid for the peacemaker's role.
President Clinton allowed Mr Christopher the centre stage with the announcement of the ceasefire, but he quickly followed up with his own televised remarks from Washington to underscore the US role.
"The civilians on both sides of the border can return to their homes and resume their normal lives with greater confidence and greater security than in the past", Mr Clinton said.
Mr Christopher shuttled back and forth between Israel and Syria, the main power broker in the region, and also made a brief visit to Lebanon to clinch the deal.
The latest flare up between Israel and the Lebanese based guerrillas was seen as a setback to US efforts to bring Syria to the table for peace negotiations with Israel.
The conflict also provided an opportunity for France, Russia and Iran to step in with their inputs, complicating the US drive for a ceasefire and challenging the US role as the principal peacemaker in the Middle East.
While US officials publicly welcomed what they termed as "help" from other countries in restoring peace on the Israeli Lebanese front, they privately questioned the legitimacy of the parallel initiatives in the region.
In the end, Washington was forced to take into account the inroads made by the French Foreign Minister, Mr Herve de Charette, on the ground by including France in a ceasefire monitoring committee also composed of Syria, Lebanon, Israel and the US.
But it was Mr Christopher's mediation that allowed the parties to reach a deal ending a 16 day conflict that left more than 160 dead and drove hundreds of thousands out of their homes in Lebanon.
"We have achieved the goal of our mission, which was to achieve an agreement which will save lives and end suffering for people on both sides of the Israel Lebanon border", Mr Christopher said at a joint news conference with the Israeli Prime Minister, Mr Shimon Peres, in Jerusalem.
Mr Christopher's quest for a ceasefire between Israel and Hizbullah marked his 18th trip to the Middle East. Since the 1991 Madrid conference, the US and Russia have cosponsored the Middle East peace process aimed at achieving a regional agreement for the first time since the creation of Israel in 1948.
Russia has taken a back seat in the diplomatic endeavour since it was initially launched with the then Soviet leader, Mr Mikhail Gorbachev, as it has been engrossed in political transformations at home.
Under US auspices, Israel has reached two landmark agreements with the Palestinians and a third with Jordan over the past three years that have transformed the political landscape in the Middle East. Syria remains the sticking point.