The Turkish Foreign Ministry in Ankara says the last round of indirect talks between Israel and Syria will take place no later than two weeks from now, after which direct negotiations are to begin.

Palestinian and Egyptian officials say Israel and the Islamic militant group Hamas have reached a cease-fire agreement that will go into effect in Gaza on Thursday. Israel would not confirm the deal, but said a negotiator was rushing to Cairo to finalize details. Robert Berger at the VOA bureau in Jerusalem.

Russia's foreign minister said a Moscow-hosted peace conference on the Middle East will be held in June or July, depending on the schedules of the countries taking part.

President Bashar Al-Assad on Sunday renewed Syria's commitment to realize just and comprehensive peace and achieve stability and security in the region, whether in Iraq, Palestine or in Lebanon.

Discussions continued Friday in Moscow on Russia's offer to host a second Middle East peace conference. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas was in Russia's capital where he met with several officials, including President Vladimir Putin.

Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter is getting a cold reception in Israel. Mr. Carter is perceived as having a strong anti-Israel bias.

President Bush is to host British Prime Minister Gordon Brown at the White House April 17 for talks expected to include Iraq, Afghanistan and Iran.

U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney says Hamas, with support from Iran and Syria, is trying to hinder peace negotiations between Palestinians and Israelis.

President Bush and King Abdullah of Jordan are discussing the Middle East peace process Tuesday at the White House.

US President George W. Bush arrived in Israel late Wednesday morning, at the start of a Middle East tour aimed at dealing with both the threat posed by Iran, as well as advancing towards a Palestinian-Israeli permanent status agreement in the coming year.

A near majority of Israelis consider this week's US-hosted peace conference in Annapolis to have been a failure, according to a poll published by the Haaretz daily.

Iran's president said on Wednesday that the Middle East peace conference held in Annapolis was doomed to failure, and produced no substantial results.