(Updates throughout with Bush, Abbas, Gheit comments)
By Matt Spetalnick and Tabassum Zakaria
SHARM EL-SHEIKH, Egypt, May 17 (Reuters) - U.S. President George W. Bush, responding to Arab dismay about his praise for Israel, said on Saturday he was confident a deal on Palestinian statehood could be reached before he leaves office.
Despite scepticism over his chances of securing a peace agreement by the end of his term in January, Bush expressed optimism that a deal could be done.
Speaking after a meeting with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh, Bush said he told Abbas that he was "absolutely committed" to working with Palestinians and Israelis to get a Palestinian state defined.
"I do so for a couple of reasons. One, it breaks my heart to see the vast potential of the Palestinian people really wasted," he said.
"It'd be an opportunity to end the suffering that takes place in the Palestinian territories," Bush said. "And the second reason I'm for it is because it's the only way for lasting peace."
Palestinians say the Israeli occupation in the West Bank has created great hardship for them.
Abbas did not mention Bush's speech to Israel's parliament on Thursday in which he heaped praise on Israel but made only one reference to Palestinians' aspirations for a state of their own.
"We know very well that you personally as well as your administration are committed to reach peace before the end of 2008," Abbas said. "We are delighted to continue our engagement with you."
Bush, who will address Palestinian issues in a speech Sunday to the World Economic Forum, said the creation of a Palestinian state would be "an opportunity to end the suffering in the Palestinian territories."
ANNIVERSARY VISIT
Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak had raised the issue of Bush's speech to the Knesset in a meeting earlier on Saturday.
"We detect on the American side some optimism and we told them that we have the same information but it is results that will reveal whether this progress which the parties speak of is real," Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit told reporters.
"Time will tell how able the U.S. administration is to achieve its objectives but we must keep trying. We cannot leave the Palestinians in this tragic situation which we see in Gaza, or the West Bank," he said.
On the way from the airport on the last leg of his Middle East tour, Bush's motorcade passed a "peacemakers" mural on the side of the road, a reminder of past efforts on diplomacy in the region by his predecessors.
Bush's visit to Israel to celebrate its 60th anniversary raised fresh doubts in the Arab world over his ability to act as an even-handed broker between Israel and the Palestinians.
He hailed Israel as a "homeland for the chosen people" and pledged that Israelis could forever count on American support against enemies like Hamas and Iran.
Abbas, who wants Bush to put more pressure on Israel, has little leverage and is weak at home, governing only in the West Bank while the Islamists of Hamas control Gaza.
Israeli Prme Minister Ehud Olmert is also on the ropes, facing a corruption scandal that could force his resignation and possibly derail the peace process altogether.
Bush's Middle East tour, his second this year, follows a U.S.-hosted conference in Annapolis, Maryland, in November where Israeli and Palestinian leaders pledged to try to reach a peace agreement by the end of Bush's term.
Since then, talks have bogged down over Israeli settlement expansion in the occupied West Bank and violence in and around the Gaza Strip, where Hamas cross-border rocket fire has triggered a tough Israeli military response.
(Additional reporting by Jonathan Wright; Editing by Keith Weir) ((Reuters Messaging: matt.spetalnick.reuters.com@reuters.net; +1 202 898 8300, fax +1 202 898 8383))
Keywords: BUSH MIDEAST/
(Updates throughout with Bush, Abbas, Gheit comments)
By Matt Spetalnick and Tabassum Zakaria
SHARM EL-SHEIKH, Egypt, May 17 (Reuters) - U.S. President George W. Bush, responding to Arab dismay about his praise for Israel, said on Saturday he was confident a deal on Palestinian statehood could be reached before he leaves office.
Despite scepticism over his chances of securing a peace agreement by the end of his term in January, Bush expressed optimism that a deal could be done.
Speaking after a meeting with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh, Bush said he told Abbas that he was "absolutely committed" to working with Palestinians and Israelis to get a Palestinian state defined.
"I do so for a couple of reasons. One, it breaks my heart to see the vast potential of the Palestinian people really wasted," he said.
"It'd be an opportunity to end the suffering that takes place in the Palestinian territories," Bush said. "And the second reason I'm for it is because it's the only way for lasting peace."
Palestinians say the Israeli occupation in the West Bank has created great hardship for them.
Abbas did not mention Bush's speech to Israel's parliament on Thursday in which he heaped praise on Israel but made only one reference to Palestinians' aspirations for a state of their own.
"We know very well that you personally as well as your administration are committed to reach peace before the end of 2008," Abbas said. "We are delighted to continue our engagement with you."
Bush, who will address Palestinian issues in a speech Sunday to the World Economic Forum, said the creation of a Palestinian state would be "an opportunity to end the suffering in the Palestinian territories."
ANNIVERSARY VISIT
Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak had raised the issue of Bush's speech to the Knesset in a meeting earlier on Saturday.
"We detect on the American side some optimism and we told them that we have the same information but it is results that will reveal whether this progress which the parties speak of is real," Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit told reporters.
"Time will tell how able the U.S. administration is to achieve its objectives but we must keep trying. We cannot leave the Palestinians in this tragic situation which we see in Gaza, or the West Bank," he said.
On the way from the airport on the last leg of his Middle East tour, Bush's motorcade passed a "peacemakers" mural on the side of the road, a reminder of past efforts on diplomacy in the region by his predecessors.
Bush's visit to Israel to celebrate its 60th anniversary raised fresh doubts in the Arab world over his ability to act as an even-handed broker between Israel and the Palestinians.
He hailed Israel as a "homeland for the chosen people" and pledged that Israelis could forever count on American support against enemies like Hamas and Iran.
Abbas, who wants Bush to put more pressure on Israel, has little leverage and is weak at home, governing only in the West Bank while the Islamists of Hamas control Gaza.
Israeli Prme Minister Ehud Olmert is also on the ropes, facing a corruption scandal that could force his resignation and possibly derail the peace process altogether.
Bush's Middle East tour, his second this year, follows a U.S.-hosted conference in Annapolis, Maryland, in November where Israeli and Palestinian leaders pledged to try to reach a peace agreement by the end of Bush's term.
Since then, talks have bogged down over Israeli settlement expansion in the occupied West Bank and violence in and around the Gaza Strip, where Hamas cross-border rocket fire has triggered a tough Israeli military response.
(Additional reporting by Jonathan Wright; Editing by Keith Weir) ((Reuters Messaging: matt.spetalnick.reuters.com@reuters.net; +1 202 898 8300, fax +1 202 898 8383))
Keywords: BUSH MIDEAST/
(Updates throughout with Bush, Abbas, Gheit comments)
By Matt Spetalnick and Tabassum Zakaria
SHARM EL-SHEIKH, Egypt, May 17 (Reuters) - U.S. President George W. Bush, responding to Arab dismay about his praise for Israel, said on Saturday he was confident a deal on Palestinian statehood could be reached before he leaves office.
Despite scepticism over his chances of securing a peace agreement by the end of his term in January, Bush expressed optimism that a deal could be done.
Speaking after a meeting with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh, Bush said he told Abbas that he was "absolutely committed" to working with Palestinians and Israelis to get a Palestinian state defined.
"I do so for a couple of reasons. One, it breaks my heart to see the vast potential of the Palestinian people really wasted," he said.
"It'd be an opportunity to end the suffering that takes place in the Palestinian territories," Bush said. "And the second reason I'm for it is because it's the only way for lasting peace."
Palestinians say the Israeli occupation in the West Bank has created great hardship for them.
Abbas did not mention Bush's speech to Israel's parliament on Thursday in which he heaped praise on Israel but made only one reference to Palestinians' aspirations for a state of their own.
"We know very well that you personally as well as your administration are committed to reach peace before the end of 2008," Abbas said. "We are delighted to continue our engagement with you."
Bush, who will address Palestinian issues in a speech Sunday to the World Economic Forum, said the creation of a Palestinian state would be "an opportunity to end the suffering in the Palestinian territories."
ANNIVERSARY VISIT
Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak had raised the issue of Bush's speech to the Knesset in a meeting earlier on Saturday.
"We detect on the American side some optimism and we told them that we have the same information but it is results that will reveal whether this progress which the parties speak of is real," Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit told reporters.
"Time will tell how able the U.S. administration is to achieve its objectives but we must keep trying. We cannot leave the Palestinians in this tragic situation which we see in Gaza, or the West Bank," he said.
On the way from the airport on the last leg of his Middle East tour, Bush's motorcade passed a "peacemakers" mural on the side of the road, a reminder of past efforts on diplomacy in the region by his predecessors.
Bush's visit to Israel to celebrate its 60th anniversary raised fresh doubts in the Arab world over his ability to act as an even-handed broker between Israel and the Palestinians.
He hailed Israel as a "homeland for the chosen people" and pledged that Israelis could forever count on American support against enemies like Hamas and Iran.
Abbas, who wants Bush to put more pressure on Israel, has little leverage and is weak at home, governing only in the West Bank while the Islamists of Hamas control Gaza.
Israeli Prme Minister Ehud Olmert is also on the ropes, facing a corruption scandal that could force his resignation and possibly derail the peace process altogether.
Bush's Middle East tour, his second this year, follows a U.S.-hosted conference in Annapolis, Maryland, in November where Israeli and Palestinian leaders pledged to try to reach a peace agreement by the end of Bush's term.
Since then, talks have bogged down over Israeli settlement expansion in the occupied West Bank and violence in and around the Gaza Strip, where Hamas cross-border rocket fire has triggered a tough Israeli military response.
(Additional reporting by Jonathan Wright; Editing by Keith Weir) ((Reuters Messaging: matt.spetalnick.reuters.com@reuters.net; +1 202 898 8300, fax +1 202 898 8383))
Keywords: BUSH MIDEAST/
(Updates throughout with Bush, Abbas, Gheit comments)
By Matt Spetalnick and Tabassum Zakaria
SHARM EL-SHEIKH, Egypt, May 17 (Reuters) - U.S. President George W. Bush, responding to Arab dismay about his praise for Israel, said on Saturday he was confident a deal on Palestinian statehood could be reached before he leaves office.
Despite scepticism over his chances of securing a peace agreement by the end of his term in January, Bush expressed optimism that a deal could be done.
Speaking after a meeting with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh, Bush said he told Abbas that he was "absolutely committed" to working with Palestinians and Israelis to get a Palestinian state defined.
"I do so for a couple of reasons. One, it breaks my heart to see the vast potential of the Palestinian people really wasted," he said.
"It'd be an opportunity to end the suffering that takes place in the Palestinian territories," Bush said. "And the second reason I'm for it is because it's the only way for lasting peace."
Palestinians say the Israeli occupation in the West Bank has created great hardship for them.
Abbas did not mention Bush's speech to Israel's parliament on Thursday in which he heaped praise on Israel but made only one reference to Palestinians' aspirations for a state of their own.
"We know very well that you personally as well as your administration are committed to reach peace before the end of 2008," Abbas said. "We are delighted to continue our engagement with you."
Bush, who will address Palestinian issues in a speech Sunday to the World Economic Forum, said the creation of a Palestinian state would be "an opportunity to end the suffering in the Palestinian territories."
ANNIVERSARY VISIT
Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak had raised the issue of Bush's speech to the Knesset in a meeting earlier on Saturday.
"We detect on the American side some optimism and we told them that we have the same information but it is results that will reveal whether this progress which the parties speak of is real," Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit told reporters.
"Time will tell how able the U.S. administration is to achieve its objectives but we must keep trying. We cannot leave the Palestinians in this tragic situation which we see in Gaza, or the West Bank," he said.
On the way from the airport on the last leg of his Middle East tour, Bush's motorcade passed a "peacemakers" mural on the side of the road, a reminder of past efforts on diplomacy in the region by his predecessors.
Bush's visit to Israel to celebrate its 60th anniversary raised fresh doubts in the Arab world over his ability to act as an even-handed broker between Israel and the Palestinians.
He hailed Israel as a "homeland for the chosen people" and pledged that Israelis could forever count on American support against enemies like Hamas and Iran.
Abbas, who wants Bush to put more pressure on Israel, has little leverage and is weak at home, governing only in the West Bank while the Islamists of Hamas control Gaza.
Israeli Prme Minister Ehud Olmert is also on the ropes, facing a corruption scandal that could force his resignation and possibly derail the peace process altogether.
Bush's Middle East tour, his second this year, follows a U.S.-hosted conference in Annapolis, Maryland, in November where Israeli and Palestinian leaders pledged to try to reach a peace agreement by the end of Bush's term.
Since then, talks have bogged down over Israeli settlement expansion in the occupied West Bank and violence in and around the Gaza Strip, where Hamas cross-border rocket fire has triggered a tough Israeli military response.
(Additional reporting by Jonathan Wright; Editing by Keith Weir) ((Reuters Messaging: matt.spetalnick.reuters.com@reuters.net; +1 202 898 8300, fax +1 202 898 8383))
Keywords: BUSH MIDEAST/
(Recasts after Cornet win)
ROME, May 17 (Reuters) - Title holder Jelena Jankovic will meet French qualifier Alize Cornet in the final of the Italian Open after the withdrawal of Russian second seed Maria Sharapova with a calf strain.
The 18-year-old Cornet staged a splendid comeback to upset Russian sixth seed Anna Chakvetadze 3-6 6-4 6-3 and earn herself a meeting with Serb fourth seed Jankovic.
The first set of the semi-final was tight until the seventh game, when Cornet was punished with a break of serve after blasting some easy forehands into net.
The 18-year-old lost the five games that followed and looked out of the match at 3-0 down in the second set.
But Chakvetadze repeated the tendency she showed earlier in the tournament to relax in the middle of her matches and Cornet took advantage to roar back and level things.
The Frenchwoman, who knocked out last year's finalist Svetlana Kuznetsova on Thursday, carried the momentum in the deciding set to reach her first big final.
Sharapova, who will become world number one next week after Belgian Justine Henin retired from tennis on Wednesday, said she should be fully fit for the French Open which starts on May 25.
"The most important thing is recovery and to be ready for the French (Open), which is obviously a goal for every player," Australian Open champion Sharapova told a news conference.
"I'm going to Paris in a couple of hours. I'm going to get some treatment over there and try to be ready as soon as possible. I hope in two days I'll be able to be on court and be normal."
Jankovic, who beat American seventh seed Venus Williams in the quarter-finals on Friday, said she was disappointed not to have played the match.
"I wanted to play. I was ready for another challenge, another tough match. Unfortunately she has an injury. It happens because we have really tough, intense matches. Our bodies cannot take it sometimes. I'm happy to be in the final and have a big opportunity to win to defend my title."
The women's tournament has been troubled by injuries, like the men's Rome Masters was last week.
Cornet got a walkover into the last four on Friday when Serena Williams pulled out of their quarter-final with a back injury.
Bulgarian qualifier Tsvetana Pironkova progressed to the quarter-finals on Thursday when Belarussian Victoria Azarenka retired with a knee injury from their third round match when the former was 6-2 1-0 ahead.
Both of the semi-finals and one of the quarters at last week's Rome Masters ended early because of injury.
(Reporting by Paul Virgo, editing by Clare Lovell)
(Clare.lovell@reuters.com, London Sports Desk +442075427933; RM: clare.lovell.reuters.com@reuters.net; For the latest Reuters Premier League and international football news see: http://football.uk.reuters.com)).
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Keywords: TENNIS WOMEN/ROME
Next: UPDATE 2-Tennis-Jankovic faces qualifier after Sharapova hurt