and so it dragged endlessly on and on

As the people of the middle east continue to hurl insults and munitions at each other, it's good to see the rest of the planet taking swift action to bring us to a point which is nearer a preliminary stage in the initial part of the process of beginning to create a draft framework for the structure by which negotiations around really starting to make a breakthrough in getting all the involved parties to agree to some first principles of what might constitute grounds on which we may develop some areas of accord with regard to considering a scenario whereby a ceasefire might take place.