Ahead of a US-hosted Middle East peace conference, President George W Bush has said he remains "personally committed" to implementing his vision of a two- state solution to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

The United States is making a last minute effort to bridge the differences between the Israelis and the Palestinians ahead of the Middle East peace conference in Annapolis.

Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas arrived in the United States late on Saturday to take part in an international Middle East peace conference that opens Tuesday in Annapolis, Maryland.

Arab foreign ministers meeting in Cairo have agreed to attend a US-sponsored peace conference next week, giving a boost to the US Government's efforts to revive the Middle East peace process.

Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert is seeking to win wide Arab participation in a US-led peace conference by reaffirming a pledge not to build new Jewish settlements and to uproot smaller outposts.

The presidents of Israel and the Palestinian Authority have made a rare joint appearance before a foreign legislature, pledging to put an end to ongoing conflict in the troubled region.

Hosni Mubarak, Egyptian President, hopes the upcoming U.S.-sponsored Mideast peace conference would succeed. Previously he expressed skepticism about it.

Javier Solana, EU foreign policy chief, hopes that Syria would attend a U.S.-sponsored conference on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and says that progress toward resolving it as "doable."

An independent group of Palestinian and Israeli religious leaders, meeting in Washington, has launched an initiative to help resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The group says it hopes to counter extremism by facilitating dialogue among the region's moderate voices.

Following talks this week with U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said he believes there is a real possibility of achieving peace with Israel.

Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas told the Egyptian media Tuesday he would remain committed to international resolutions at a Middle East conference initiated by the U.S. and due later this year.

Israeli Premier Ehud Olmert will hold talks with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Friday, to prepare for an upcoming U.S.-sponsored Mideast peace conference.