Video

The day after the Annapolis conference relaunched a Middle East peace effort President George W. Bush greeted Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas at the White House.. Once wary of taking a hands-on role in Middle East diplomacy, Bush was now ready to inaugurate the first formal Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations in seven years. SOUNDBITE: U.S. President George W. Bush, saying (English): "No matter how important yesterday was, it's not nearly as important as tomorrow and the days beyond.I appreciate the commitment of these leaders to working hard to achieve peace. I wouldn't be standing here if I didn't believe that peace was possible." Bush aims to achieve in his final 14 months in office what has eluded U.S. administrations for decades. He called on the international community for support. SOUNDBITE: U.S. President George W. Bush, saying (English): "It's very important for the international community to support these two leaders during the bilateral negotiations that will take place. And one thing I've assured both gentlemen is that the United States will be actively engaged in the process." Arab League Secretary General Amr Moussa told Reuters the US is going to have to return to the familiar role of honest broker. SOUNDBITE: Arab League Secretary General Amr Moussa, saying (English): "For the U.S. to be effective with both sides within the region they have to get back to the role of honest brokers and not cater to the interest of one party over another. This is the key to success, a key to the general atmosphere of the Arab world in the Middle East." He said the fact that so many Arab nations convened at Annapolis should also send a clear message to Israel. SOUNDBITE: Arab League Secretary General Amr Moussa, saying (English): "There is a message in our presence here. We mean business. We are ready for peace if you are ready. We are ready to shoulder all our responsibilities as Arab countries including normalization, but in the right context and when we are convinced that Israel is serious because until this moment we are not convinced." The strong turnout was also viewed by many as a signal to Iran - which was left off the Annapolis guest list and has sharply opposed the plan to restart talks. Beyond accepting a framework for peace talks, neither Olmert nor Abbas gave any sign of ceding ground on their main differences. Analysts say Bush hopes for a foreign policy success to polish his legacy, but the unpopular war in Iraq, the main factor in his low public approval ratings, could limit his room to maneuver. And in a sign of the difficult road ahead, Hamas Islamists who control the Gaza strip rejected the new peace drive and vowed to work against it. Deborah Lutterbeck, Reuters