Bush to host key Mideast peace conference

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WASHINGTON, Nov 21 (AFP): US President George W. Bush will host a key conference on November 27 aiming to revive the Middle East peace process and pave the way towards a separate Palestinian state, US officials said.
Bush, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas will open the conference involving more than 40 countries from around the world Tuesday next week in Annapolis, Maryland, State Department officials said.
"We feel this is a really important moment," said US Middle East envoy David Welch. "There is a common understanding that this is the moment in which they can change the picture and get serious negotiations started."
The peace process has been frozen for seven years since former US president Bill Clinton tried to broker a final settlement near the end of his presidency in 2000.