Bush Meets With Olmert, Abbas

On the eve of the Mideast peace summit, which begins tomorrow in Annapolis, President Bush held separate talks with Ehud Olmert and Mahmoud Abbas today in the Oval Office, reports the Washington Post. Between meetings, Bush thanked both leaders for participating in the talks and said he was “optimistic” that a peace agreement could be reached.

Olmert and Abbas echoed Bush’s optimism in statements: "We have a great deal of hope," said Abbas, for "a peace agreement between Israel and the Palestinian people, an agreement to secure security and stability.” Olmert thanked Bush for inducing the two parties to “work out something that will be very good to create a great hope for our peoples.” (More Palestine stories.)