( LatWp ) - President Bush expressed confidence Monday that his vision of a Palestinian state is still "achievable" as he opened a diplomatic mission to promote his Middle East peace plan, increase pressure on Myanmar (formerly known as Burma) and reposition himself on climate change.
Arriving here for a three-day visit marking the opening of the annual U.N. General Assembly session, Bush met with Palestinian leaders and former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, now serving as a Middle East envoy, to build support for a regional peace conference this fall. But the White House reported no breakthroughs amid disagreements over the conference's agenda and participants.
"I appreciate the fact that you're fighting the extremists who don't share the same kind of view," Bush said, with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and Prime Minister Salam Fayyad at his side. "I believe that the vision of two states, side by side in peace, is achievable. And we want to help you realize that goal."
A senior administration official who requested anonymity later said Bush believes the creation of a Palestinian state is achievable before the end of his presidency in 16 months. "I think he would say it is," the official told reporters. "I think he would say it is very hard. ... We're not setting any deadlines, but we're not willing to acknowledge or admit that it takes a set number of months and we don't have enough time."
The intense effort by Bush and his team to seek resolution of the long-standing Israeli-Palestinian dispute in the dwindling months of his administration underlines a desire to build a legacy that goes beyond the battle with international terrorists and the Iraq war. The conference Bush plans for November, probably in Washington, would be the first such major effort since his father's conference in Madrid in 1991. It remains a work in progress, with various parties outlining different goals and an unsettled invitation list.
The administration signaled Sunday that it would invite Syria, Saudi Arabia and other Arab countries that do not have relations with Israel, but the official demurred Monday, saying nothing is certain yet. Palestinian and Israeli leaders have assigned negotiators to start meeting this week to decide the issues to discuss at the conference. But the situation is complicated by the takeover of the Gaza Strip by Hamas, the militant organization that opposes Abbas.
The Palestinian president used his meeting with Bush to insist that the November conference address "issues of substance that would lead to full negotiations on the permanent status," underscoring the disagreements that confront Bush in making the meeting successful. Still, Abbas said "these days we feel hopeful" that progress is possible.
In another move intended to demonstrate its commitment, the White House announced Monday that first lady Laura Bush will travel to the Middle East next month to promote U.S. public diplomacy, meet regional leaders and highlight a U.S. program for breast cancer awareness.
The focus on the Middle East represents only part of the president's agenda. He also discussed trade issues with Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and attended a dinner for heads of state sponsored by U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon to talk about global warming. Over the next two days, Bush will meet with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and Afghan President Hamid Karzai, hold a roundtable on democracy and attend a Security Council meeting on Africa.
On Tuesday, Bush is scheduled to deliver a speech to the U.N. General Assembly focusing on "liberation" from tyranny, hunger, illiteracy and poverty. He also is expected to announce new sanctions on Myanmar as tens of thousands of demonstrators protest its military junta. His speech will come just hours before Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad addresses the forum.
Bush's attendance at Monday's climate change dinner, which was closed to the media, was designed to show that he takes the issue seriously and wants to find a plan to address it. But he wants to do so on his terms, skipping the day-long conference that preceded the dinner and still opposing mandatory emission caps that environmentalists favor. Bush is sponsoring his own meeting of foreign leaders on climate change in Washington later in the week.
The Myanmar sanctions Bush plans to announce Tuesday are intended to increase pressure on the government amid the largest demonstrations since similar street protests were broken up violently in 1988. The United States already imposes economic and military sanctions on Myanmar. Bush aides would not say what additional measures would be taken other than barring U.S. entry for key leaders from Myanmar.