Shortly before this week’s U.S.-guided, Israeli-Palestinian summit meeting in Annapolis, Maryland, I spent a day with someone who understands the complexities of Middle East peacemaking better than most: Jehan Sadat, the widow of former Egyptian President Anwar Sadat.

Our conversations took me back to a more optimistic period, that of the Camp David Accords, when the possibility of peace in the region seriously beckoned for the first time.

Not surprisingly, Sadat indicated that to make similar progress in the peace process today, more leaders like her husband and former Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin must emerge. They were known for their toughness, courage, sincerity and vision, she said.

Speaking specifically about her husband, Sadat continued, “It would have been very easy for him to maintain his position and focus on slogans. But he was a doer.” They realized from the beginning that he might pay a very high price, she added, but they could not be distracted.

Without such leadership, there would have been little likelihood of subsequent peace efforts, from the 1993 Oslo Accords to this week’s summit meeting.

Although Sadat had trouble pointing to specific modern Middle East leaders who are ready, willing and able to carry the banner of her husband and Begin, she remained optimistic. “Of course, I believe there will be peace one day. When? Nobody knows. But this is the duty of the leaders,” she said.

How to break out of the current impasse?

More grand, inspiring gestures would help. For example, Sadat suggested that if Syrian President Bashar Assad would follow in her husband’s footsteps, go to Israel and speak before the Knesset, it would show sincerity and make other developments possible.

Sadat also acknowledged that the dispute between the Israelis and the Palestinians is the core of the problem; once it is resolved, progress toward regional peace will come more easily.

Toward that end, this week’s summit meeting has the right intentions, despite low expectations. Itself a grand, inspiring gesture, the gathering properly aims for the formal resumption of Israeli-Palestinian peace talks. Many invited regional and international stakeholders will provide support, not the least of whom is former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, the international community’s Middle East envoy. A single envoy is insufficient, though.

For some time, I have advocated another grand, inspiring gesture, one that would have an ongoing impact: the immediate creation of a Middle East “A-Team” of at least four prominent leaders who do not hold political positions. They would represent the interests of the quartet, consisting of the United States, the European Union, the United Nations and Russia. In addition, each country of the region would name a high-level liaison to work closely with the “A-Team.”

Next, yet another grand, inspiring gesture would make a difference, namely a return to the Madrid Conference concept that launched the successful peacemaking of the 1990s, with Washington and Moscow again acting as co-conveners. All Middle East nations would be invited and every issue considered, including war, terrorism, the clash of ideologies, disputed territories, statelessness, recognition of Israel and its legitimacy, arms control, economic development and access to resources.

Using the Annapolis summit meeting as a springboard, a broader conference could be planned for the spring of next year.

If today’s leaders demonstrate the toughness, courage, sincerity and vision of Sadat’s husband in dealing with the thorny issues that complicate the peace process, nothing is impossible.