Washington: American President George W Bush will host a crucial conference next week aiming to revive the dormant Middle East peace process and pave the way for a separate Palestinian state.

"This conference will signal international support for the courageous efforts of Prime Minister Olmert and President Mahmud Abbas and will serve as a launching point for negotiations with an eye towards establishing an Israeli and Palestinian state," State Department spokesperson Sean McCormack said at a special briefing.

The US has issued invitations to the Israeli Prime Minister Olmert, Palestinian Authority President Abbas, members of the Arab League follow-up committee, permanent members of the UN Security Council, members of the G8 and other key international actors.

For three days next week, the Bush administration will be hosting the Middle East conference with a lot of the deliberations taking place at the US Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland.

Bush, Olmert and Abbas will open the conference involving more than 40 countries from around the world next Tuesday in Annapolis, Maryland. Bush will be hosting Olmert and Abbas separately for bilateral meetings on November 26.

The peace process has been frozen for seven years since former US president Bill Clinton tried to broker a final settlement near the end of his presidency in 2000.

In July, Bush announced plans for the Annapolis conference aiming to revive the dormant Middle East peace process and pave the way for a separate Palestinian state.

Source : PTI