The White House said that the much-anticipated Middle East peace conference in Annapolis, Maryland on Tuesday is a “launching pad” for further negotiations between Palestine and Israel, according to White House press secretary Dana Perino. The Tuesday conference in Annapolis comes after U.S. President George W. Bush hosted Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert at the White House on Monday. While the leaders' meetings with Bush have been “a little more general,” the United States is anticipating that the two countries will engage in bilateral negotiations on their own, Perino said. Bush is encouraging Abbas and Olmert to think about “the day after Annapolis,” she said. Bush is hoping that the United States-sponsored peace conference will bring the “realization of peace” to the Middle East, and that Palestine and Israel can co-exist in peace as neighboring countries, Perino said. Bush and his administration are paying particular interest to creating a condition where there are “two states [Palestine and Israel] living side by side in peace and security,” she said. The Annapolis conference comes before the donor conference that is scheduled between the countries for December 17, 2007. Though many are skeptical about the actual negotiations that may emerge from the conference, the White House said that they are proud of the fact that Bush is the first president to call for a Palestinian state, Perino said. Bush and the two leaders said that they hope to conclude negotiations regarding regional peace before the end of Bush's term in presidential office, Perino said.
