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Dozens Invited to Mideast Peace Talks

White House presses Saudi Arabia and Syria, Olmert bolsters Abbas

By Jane Yager,  Newser Staff

Posted Nov 21, 2007 4:14 AM CST

(Newser) – The negotiating table may be packed Nov. 27 in Annapolis, when the Mideast peace conference brings together not only Israelis and Palestinians, but upwards of 40 other countries and institutions invited yesterday. The White House's priority is to persuade Saudi Arabia and Syria to attend the talks, to bolster the chances of making real progress towards Palestinian statehood.

But even countries outside the Middle East, such as Brazil, Norway, and Senegal, received invites; notably uninvited was Hamas, viewed by Washington as a terror organization. Meanwhile, Israeli PM Ehud Olmert continued efforts to strengthen Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas's hand by offering ammunition and trucks, and by opening some export routes from the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip.

U.S. State Department spokesman Sean McCormack gestures during a news briefing at the US State Dept. headquarters, Tuesday, Nov. 20, 2007 in Washington. U.S. State Deptartment spokesman Sean McCormack gestures during a news briefing at State Department headquarters Tuesday, Nov. 20, 2007 in Washington. Dozens of nations and...
U.S. State Department spokesman Sean McCormack gestures during a news briefing at the US State Dept. headquarters, Tuesday, Nov. 20, 2007 in Washington. U.S. State Deptartment spokesman Sean McCormack...   (Associated Press)
Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, left, and Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, right, speak with journalists following a joint press conference in the Red Sea resort city of Sharm El-Sheik, Egypt, Tuesday, Nov. 20, 2007. Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said Tuesday he hopes a peace deal with the Palestinians can...
Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, left, and Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, right, speak with journalists following a joint press conference in the Red Sea resort city of Sharm El-Sheik, Egypt, Tuesday,...   (Associated Press)
Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, right meets with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt Tuesday, Nov. 20, 2007. Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert flew to Egypt on Tuesday to try to drum up support from reluctant Arab states for an upcoming Mideast peace conference, after failing to bridge...
Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, right meets with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt Tuesday, Nov. 20, 2007. Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert flew to Egypt on Tuesday to try...   (Associated Press)
From left, Iraqi President Jalal Talabani talks to his counterparts, Yemeni Ali Abdullah Saleh , Egyptian Hosni Mubarak and Sudanese Omar el-Bashir during a mini Arab summit at the Presidential palace in Cairo, Egypt, Sunday, Nov. 11, 2007. Talks come within the framework on the upcoming U.S.-sponsored Mideast peace...
From left, Iraqi President Jalal Talabani talks to his counterparts, Yemeni Ali Abdullah Saleh , Egyptian Hosni Mubarak and Sudanese Omar el-Bashir during a mini Arab summit at the Presidential palace...   (Associated Press)
Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, left, talks with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak during their meeting in the Red Sea resort city of Sharm El-Sheik, Egypt, Tuesday, Nov. 20, 2007. Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said Tuesday he hopes a peace deal with the Palestinians can be reached in 2008, as...
Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, left, talks with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak during their meeting in the Red Sea resort city of Sharm El-Sheik, Egypt, Tuesday, Nov. 20, 2007. Israeli Prime Minister...   (Associated Press)
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