Process sees military man meet peace broker

THE two central players in the latest Middle East peace process have had very different reputations, one hard-line, the other conciliatory.

Ariel Sharon: Born in 1928 in Tel Aviv, his 29-year military career spanned four wars, and he gained a reputation as a maverick officer.

As defence minister, he oversaw the 1982 invasion of Lebanon. He resigned in 1983 after an Israeli commission of inquiry found him indirectly responsible for the massacre of hundreds of Palestinian refugees.