Al-Qaida’s deputy leader Ayman al-Zawahri denounced last month’s Middle East peace conference in the United States as a “betrayal” of Palestinians in a new audio tape posted on an Islamic militant Web site today.

Palestinians and Israelis understand that helping the other to realise their aspirations is the key to realising their own, US President George Bush will say today.

Arab leaders and international envoys are preparing for a conference on peace in the Middle East today.