President Bush is scheduled to meet with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert today at the White House, one day before the US-sponsored Middle East summit in Annapolis, Maryland. More than forty nations are to attend the talks, including Syria, but officials from the Palestinian party Hamas have been excluded. Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat said Arab nations will back a two-state solution.

Saeb Erekat: “I think the Arabs made it very clear we have an Arab peace initiative. There are seventeen Arab foreign ministers who will be coming here. There are many foreign ministers from the Islamic countries that will be coming here. They are coming here with one aim: to back the Palestinian side in their endeavor to achieve peace, based on the Arab peace initiative, two-state solution, Palestine and Israel living side-by-side in peace and security. And that’s what should be done.”