Bush urges compromise on ME peace deal

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WASHINGTON, Nov 27 (BBC): United States (US) President George W Bush has warned 'difficult compromises' will be needed to secure an Israeli-Palestinian peace deal at talks due to open in Maryland.
Speaking at a dinner for the main participants Monday, Bush however insisted that Israeli and Palestinian leaders were committed to making them.
He was speaking on the eve of the most important Middle East talks in years.
More than 40 organisations and countries, including Saudi Arabia and Syria, are attending the conference.
Observers say the fact that the summit is being hosted by the US and has attracted the participation of Arab states like Saudi Arabia and Syria that do not recognise Israel, are critical to chances for success.
The Bush administration hopes that the meeting in Annapolis, Maryland, will kick-start the first Israeli-Palestinian peace talks in seven years -- a programme of meetings over the next year or so, which will lead to a Palestinian state.
However, correspondents say expectations for Tuesday's meeting at the naval academy in Annapolis are modest.
BBC Middle East editor Jeremy Bowen in Washington says there are a number of issues that could scupper any chances of a deal - in particular the absence of Palestinian faction Hamas, which is designated a terrorist organisation by the US, the EU and Israel.
In Jerusalem, thousands of Israelis gathered at the Western Wall Monday to protest against the conference, with Israeli opposition leader Benjamin Netanyahu labelling the meeting "a continuation of one-sided concessions".
The wider tensions in the Middle East are also a concern, with many fearing that problems with Iraq, Iran and Lebanon could derail any peace process, our correspondent says.
At the formal welcome dinner, hosted by US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice in Washington, Bush said Palestinians and Israelis shared a "common goal: two democratic states, Israel and Palestine, living side by side in peace and security".
Bush made his own personal commitment to a peace process from which correspondents say he has appeared disengaged for much of his presidency.
Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas held separate meetings with Bush in the White House Monday.