Hopes of a lasting peace in the war-ravaged Middle East were raised on Tuesday when Israeli Foreign Minister Shimon Peres said his country was ”ready to pay any price for peace” in the region, including handing back most of the occupied territories back to the Palestinians.

While there was nothing ”improper” about the current stormy relations between the government and the official opposition, the onus lay with President Thabo Mbeki to set the tone for some interaction, says Democratic Alliance leader Tony Leon.