Bush visits Middle East

IN his first personal foray into Middle East peace talks, US president George W Bush pledged yesterday to “put in as much time as necessary” to achieve peace between Israelis and Palestinians and help them live side by side.

Bush, on the eve of two days of talks with leaders in the region, said he knew it would not be an easy task to end years of hostility in the region: “I think we’ll make some progress. I know we’re making progress.”

After staying aloof from the Middle East for 18 months as violence between the two sides escalated, Bush became the first president specifically to endorse a Palestinian state. However, he said it could come only with a more democratic Palestinian system and without Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, the long-time symbol of the Palestinian movement.

Bush’s comments came during a meeting with French president Jacques Chirac at an economic summit here. Chirac offered his “very sincere wishes” for Bush’s success in the Mideast meetings and said France, Russia and Europe backed his efforts.

“We support this action without reservations,” Chirac said.

Bush was cutting short his attendance at the summit yesterday to head for the Egyptian resort of Sharm el-Sheik. There he planned to press Arab leaders to do more to show open support for new Palestinian prime minister Mahmoud Abbas, US officials said.

Bush plans to participate in a three-way summit in Aqaba, Jordan, with Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, tomorrow.

He hoped to seek commitments from Middle East leaders on how to carry out a US-backed peace plan that would lead to the creation of a Palestinian state by 2005. He said steps forward would only come if “people assume their responsibilities.”

“My expectations on the Middle East are to call all the respective parties to their responsibilities to achieve peace,” he said. “My country and I will put in as much time as necessary to achieve the vision of two states, living side by side in peace.”

Recent statements by Sharon acknowledging that Israeli forces’ “occupation” of Palestinian territories showed that “whichever interpretation you put on that ... it’s a situation that is unsustainable over time,” said Bush.

Bush also will underscore to Sharon at their meeting tomorrow that Israel has responsibilities to make the peace process work.