Bush, Olmert look to their final meeting

WASHINGTON - President Bush and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, two lame-duck leaders, look to their final meeting to leave a blueprint for fulfilling their ambitious but unrealized Mideast agendas.

The White House session this evening was expected to focus on Iran's nuclear program and progress in Israeli-Palestinian peace talks.

Just a year ago, Olmert and the Palestinian president, Mahmoud Abbas, announced the resumption of peace talks after a seven-year hiatus at a summit hosted by Bush in Annapolis, Md. The three set an ambitious target of wrapping up a final peace deal by the end of 2008.

Despite frequent negotiating sessions, two trips to the region by Bush, and eight more by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, the sides have little to show for their efforts and have acknowledged the year-end target will not be met.

"Even though there was not an agreement by the end of the year, it is really largely because of the political situation in Israel," Rice told reporters aboard Air Force One as Bush flew back from a summit in Peru.

Still, she tried to sound upbeat about the peace process. "It's in pretty good shape," Rice said.

With his time in power running out, Olmert has become increasingly candid, saying Israel will have to withdraw from almost all of the West Bank and parts of east Jerusalem to make peace with the Palestinians.

Talk of such concessions was virtually unheard of a few years ago.