Bush 'hopeful' of Mideast peace deal

WASHINGTON (AFP) - US President George W Bush told visiting Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas on Thursday he remained “hopeful” of a Middle East peace breakthrough before leaving office in January.

“I’ve got four more months left in office, and I’m hopeful that the vision that you and I have worked on will come to pass, and my only pledge to you is that I’ll continue to work hard,” to see that it can come to pass,” said Bush.

“We will continue to work with you, and we will continue to keep the hope alive in order to reach a political solution for our issue and for the Middle East,” Abbas said through an interpreter.

“I appreciate your determination and your desire to have a Palestinian state. And I share that desire with you. It’s not easy. No doubt it must be frustrating at times for you, because it’s hard work to get a state after all these years,” said the US President.