Bush vows active role in Mideast peace

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WASHINGTON, Nov 25 (AFP): US President George W. Bush on Wednesday promised Israeli and Palestinian leaders his full support seeking to overcome deep doubts on whether new peace talks can yield a hoped-for accord next year.
"I wouldn't be standing here if I didn't believe that peace was possible, and they wouldn't be here either if they didn't think peace was possible," Bush said with his two guests quietly looking on after White House talks.
"One thing I've assured both gentlemen is that the United States will be actively engaged in the process," Bush pledged. "We will use our power to help you as you come up with the necessary decisions to lay out a Palestinian state that will live side by side in peace with Israel."
Abbas and Olmert -- like Bush, politically weakened -- were to return home to confront sharp skepticism from friends and foes alike over the latest peace drive launched Tuesday at a US-championed conference in Annapolis, Maryland.
"Yesterday was an important day, it was a hopeful beginning. No matter how important yesterday was, it's not nearly as important as tomorrow and the days beyond," said Bush, who stressed the need for global support.
The US president, who called Middle East peace "something we all want," did not invite Abbas or Olmert to speak at the minutes-long event in the White House Rose Garden, and the three leaders did not shake hands.
The muted moment was in sharp contrast to the ebullient 1993 handshake on the nearby South Lawn between then US president Bill Clinton, late Israeli prime minister Yitzhak Rabin, and late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat.
The new peace push won a cautious show of support from the 22-member Arab League, whose chief Amr Mussa cited "misgivings" but warily welcomed the agreement to thaw negotiations frozen for Bush's seven years in office.
"We want to give this opportunity a chance," Mussa said. "During the next two months we will test the Israelis' intentions to see if they are serious, or if this is just another game."
While the White House briefly described Wednesday's talks as an Annapolis "after-party," all sides agreed that the heavy lifting would start at once.