US President George W. Bush on Saturday pledged to Palestinian leader Mahmud Abbas his determination to help achieve the "dream" of a Palestinian state, despite stagnant peace talks.
"I commit to you once again that my government will help achieve a dream, a dream that you have, and the truth of matter is, a dream that the Israelis have, which is two states living side by side in peace," Bush told Abbas.
President Abbas, who met Bush in Egypt to brief him on the state of talks with Israel, said he was working "seriously and very aggressively with the hope that we will be able to achieve this objective before the end of the year."
However, Abbas spokesman Nabil Abu Rudeina later laid the blame for the slow pace of negotiations squarely on Israel, saying that "what Bush dreams should be implemented on the ground.
"Seeing is believing. We have to see tangible Israeli steps on the ground so that we can convince our people that things are going in the right direction," Abu Rudeina told AFP. He pointed to the fact that despite US pledges to help broker a deal by the end of Bush's term in January, all final status issues remain unresolved, saying "time is running out."
"What we are looking for is not just a definition of a state, we need to start implementing an agreement leading to a state," Abu Rudeina said after Bush declared that "we can get a state defined by the end of my presidency." "We need an agreement so we can start implementing, otherwise talking about the definition of a state is good, but not enough."
Israel and the Palestinians resumed peace talks at a US-hosted meeting in November, committing themselves to a target of reaching a deal by the time Bush leaves office. So far, they have made virtually no visible progress. In particular, Abu Rudeina criticised the ongoing construction of Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank.
"There should be quick agreement on all core issues before the end of the year otherwise ... the whole region will be facing chaos and troubles." Bush, who is in the Egyptian Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh for talks with world leaders before addressing the Middle East World Economic Forum, said "it breaks my heart to see the vast potential of the Palestinian people really wasted."
Bush and Abbas also voiced concern about the situation in Lebanon, where fighting last week between pro- and anti-government forces killed 65 people and pushed the country to the brink of new civil war.
"It is clear that Hezbollah, which has been funded by Iran, can no longer justify its position as a defender against Israel when it turns on its own people," Bush said. Feuding Lebanese political leaders opened Arab-brokered talks in Qatar earlier Saturday aimed at ending the crisis, which has prevented the election of a president since November.
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