Diplomats in the Department of Foreign Affairs will meet later this month before recommending which of the Middle East countries the President, Mrs McAleese, should visit when she travels to the area in mid-November. Mrs McAleese hopes to cover four countries during a nine-day tour, in response to a number of invitations. Worries exist over the plans to travel to Israel and Palestine, not only because of instability in the area, but also because of the problems involved in travelling between Israel and an Arab country. Generally, Arab states will not allow direct contact with Israel, so a stopover in Egypt - where there's a peace treaty - may be necessary. Other problems concern the impossibility of visiting Palestine without also going to Israel, the difficulties in the Middle East peace process, and the political ramifications of a head of state travelling between countries hostile to each other. Ideally, the President would like to go to Israel, Palestine and two or three of the Gulf states - but an Iveagh House recommendation depends on the outcome of the current peace initiative at the UN.