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Bush to hold summit during Mideast tripWill sit down with Israeli, Palestinian prime ministers
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- President Bush will meet with Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas next week in Jordan in the president's biggest personal pitch for Mideast peace since taking office, Bush administration officials said Wednesday. After meeting with both men separately, Bush will then sit down with both leaders together to discuss the new peace plan -- if, in the words of his national security adviser Condoleezza Rice, "conditions permit." Asked what she meant, Rice said, "We're watching the circumstances. We're watching to see if the parties are moving forward. "The president is simply saying that he will assess, but he fully believes that he's going to be able to go forward," she said. White House spokesman Ari Fleischer used similar qualifiers when he announced the summit would take place June 4 in the Jordanian port city of Aqaba. Secretary of State Colin Powell said a three-way meeting between Sharon, Abbas and Bush "would certainly demonstrate the U.S. commitment to moving forward with the peace process." "I think it would give some hope and inspiration to the people of the region that we are now moving forward on the road map toward the vision that the president had," Powell said. Both the Palestinians and Israelis have accepted the U.S.-supported "road map" to peace, clearing the way for a series of steps that would lead to the creation of a Palestinian state within three years. Fleischer said both sides must continue to pursue their responsibilities under the road map for the summit to go forward. Under the plan, the Palestinian Authority must crack down on militant groups that target Israelis and Israel must ease restrictions on the Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza. Two days before the summit in Jordan, Bush will travel to Egypt, where he will meet with a group of Arab leaders in the resort town of Sharm el-Sheikh to discuss the road map. "The president has always said that when he thought he could give a little impetus to what is going to be a very long and difficult process, he would do so," Rice said. "The president believes that this is a new opportunity for peace at the end of the war in Iraq and particularly with changes in the Palestinian leadership." The meeting will include Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, Crown Prince Abdullah of Saudi Arabia, King Abdullah II of Jordan, King Hamad of Bahrain and Abbas. Powell said the Bush administration wants to see those leaders continue to condemn terrorism and isolate organizations that support terrorist activity. "I think the president is expecting a solid expression of support, not only for the road map, but of the Arab leaders to help the Palestinian authority as they restore their security capacity, their security organizations," Powell said. Bush will also discuss his proposal for creation of a free trade zone between the United States and the Middle East, Rice said. Abbas, Sharon to meetAbbas and Sharon were scheduled to meet Thursday to discuss the road map, official Israeli sources said. According to sources, the meeting has been slated for 9 p.m. (2 p.m. EDT) at Sharon's residence in Jerusalem. (Full story) The leaders were originally scheduled to meet Wednesday, with each side blaming the other for scheduling conflicts that resulted in the postponement. Both sides disagree about who should take the first step. Israel insists the crackdown on militants must come before it does anything. The Palestinians say Israel must end military operations and stop settlement expansion. Sharon, a longtime hawk, said Monday the occupation of Palestinian land by Israeli troops must eventually come to an end. "You can not like the word, but what is happening is an occupation -- to hold 3.5 million Palestinians under occupation. I believe that is a terrible thing for Israel and for the Palestinians," Sharon said. "It can't continue endlessly," he said. "Do you want to stay forever in Jenin, in Nablus, in Ramallah, in Bethlehem? I don't think that's right." On Tuesday, Sharon had his press office issue a "clarifying statement" after Israel's attorney general said the Palestinian territories remain "disputed" land. Sharon "made it clear today ... that when he used the expression 'occupation' at yesterday's meeting ... he meant that we do not want to rule over the Palestinian population in the areas in dispute," the statement read. Even so, Sharon's choice of words -- coming from a political leader who has backed Jewish settlements and an ex-general who has led troops against Palestinians -- stunned Israelis across the political spectrum. The Israeli Cabinet voted 12-7 with four abstentions Sunday to accept the road map, with reservations, marking the first time an Israeli government has formally accepted the principle of a Palestinian state. The Palestinians accepted the road map when it was presented in April by the so-called Mideast Quartet -- the United States, Russia, the European Union and the United Nations. Arafat not invitedThe meeting in Jordan will not include Palestinian Authority President Yasser Arafat. White House officials said the time is right for Bush's high-profile involvement because Arafat is out, and it is important to meet and be seen with Abbas to help "prop him up." "We finally have a interlocutor serious about achieving peace and fighting terror," a Bush official said. The administration also wants to seize on toppling Saddam Hussein, whom officials say encouraged terrorism by regularly sending families of Palestinian suicide bombers $25,000. But officials are already trying to manage expectations. "It is a long process. If it were easy, peace would have been made 50 years ago. There are no illusions about a quick process, these are tough issues," said the official. Bush's Middle East stops would come after his trip to Evian, France, for the annual summit of the Group of Eight industrialized nations, June 1-3. He will also stop in Doha, Qatar, the home of U.S. Central Command, to thank the troops for their efforts in the Iraq war, the White House said. -- CNN Correspondent Dana Bash contributed to this report.
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