In other words, the next round in the Anglo-German rumpus over tax harmonisation, and the merits of state intervention versus the free market Duty-free shopping. The Commission thought it had agreement to abolish this by next summer, but now the politicians are having second thoughts.The salary package for Euro-MPs. A long-standing tale of perks and padded expense accounts, which have defied every effort to trim them.European Defence. Britain and France are proposing a European defence identity.

But will the neutrals go along, and what happens to the Western European Union?Trade with South Africa. Six months ago, Nelson Mandela was hailed at the Cardiff summit as a hero for the ages, but Europe balks at concessions on imports of South African wine.. THE DEATHS of the Western hostages in Chechnya took a new twist yesterday with the discovery of a video in which one of the men said he and the others had been spying for British intelligence. Chechen officials who had seen the tape said it was apparent the man had been forced into making the "confession". I presume the Law Lords will stick around, unless the Lord Chancellor has plans for a British supreme court, but I'm unclear about the bishops. What Tony Blair and Lord Irvine seem to be mulling over is a chamber made of life peers, a sprinkling of MSPs (members of the Scottish Parliament), MWAs (members of the Welsh Assembly), MEPs and other mmm-ing acronyms from Scotland, Wales and the European Parliament and a job lot of councillors selected to represent English regions, all supplemented by one-third of members directly elected in a manner yet to be advised.

At this rate the Natural Law Party will have published its own call for a permanently elevated, yogic chamber, before the commission's head has so much as been nominated Let's stick, for the moment, with Labour. Hague's lot will soon be bruiting abroad their proposals for a replacement to the House of Lords (can you bear the suspense?), and - more importantly - an advance leak of the Government's own initial, tentative, just-thought-we'd-run-these-past-you thoughts appeared in several newspapers (including this one) on Tuesday. WELL, SINCE no one else is waiting for the bloody Royal Commission before putting their oar in about a reformed second chamber, neither will I. Arab-Americans who have paid a price of 30 years will feel vindicated and strengthened. We will continue our struggle for Palestinian statehood and for Israeli withdrawal from occupied lands, somewhat freed of the taboos that have inhibited our efforts for so long.The Daily Star, Lebanon. The President's visit to Gaza represents an important departure from the past and a breakthrough to build on for the future. It represents a major step in the developing US-Palestinian relationship.

If the trip goes as planned, despite continuing Israeli efforts to obstruct the process, the US will be indicating that its effort to work with Palestinians can be independent from the attitudes and behaviour of the other party to the peace process. And yet when the President goes to Gaza, his visit represents an important departure from the past and a breakthrough on which we can build for the future.Jordan TimesTHE WYE process is in a shambles. Never the less, when President Clinton travels to Gaza next week, analysts throughout the Middle East will debate the meaning and significance of the visit. And it is true that Israel continues to be the beneficiary of a US double standard.