The Bush administration has announced it will hold a long-awaited Mideast peace conference next week. The White House says it’s invited more than fifty countries and institutions to convene in Annapolis, Maryland. State Department Spokesperson Sean McCormack says the US expects the one-day gathering to kick-start final-status talks to resolve the Israel-Palestine conflict.

State Dept. spokesperson Sean McCormack: “This conference will signal international support for the courageous efforts of Prime Minister Olmert and President Abbas and will serve as a launching point for negotiations with an eye towards establishing an Israeli and Palestinian state.”

The White House is indicating its top concern ahead of the conference will be to convince Arab nations to attend. A senior administration official told the New York Times, “We’re trying to rally the Arab world for support of this process, and they are master fence-sitters.” But the Bush administration has refused to endorse a five-year-old Arab League-Palestinian plan offering Israel full peace in return for a complete withdrawal from the Occupied Territories. Israel has essentially rejected the deal, claiming it would only agree to unspecified elements. Israeli leaders have long vowed to hold on to the West Bank’s major settlement blocs and water resources.