Bush calls for Middle East talks
President George W Bush has called for a Middle East peace conference.
Aiming to break years of stalemate, Bush called for a meeting between Israel, the Palestinian Authority and their neighbours.
Reaffirming his vision of a Palestinian state at peace with Israel, Bush said Palestinians faced "a moment of choice" between the Islamist militant group Hamas and President Mahmoud Abbas's more moderate vision.
He said: "This is a moment of clarity for all Palestinians. Now comes a moment of choice. The alternatives before the Palestinian people are stark."
After the violent takeover last month of the Gaza Strip by Hamas, Western countries had rallied behind Abbas with promises of renewed aid.
Their hope is to isolate Hamas, branded a terrorist group by the United States, and to spur peace moves between Palestinian moderates and Israel.
US allies such as Saudi Arabia and Egypt have long wanted Bush to get more involved in Middle East peacemaking.
© Independent Television News Limited 2007. All rights reserved.
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