The New Nation - Internet Edition

AP, Washington

President George W. Bush and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's lofty Mideast peace goals are going out with a whimper.

Wrapping up three years of close cooperation, the two leaders met for probably the final time Monday and pledged to leave behind a productive peace process for their successors when they leave office. In brief comments to reporters before their hourlong talk in the Oval Office, both gave off an air of nostalgia, thanking each other profusely for their friendship and dedication to peace.

"We've been through a lot together during our time in office," Bush said. "We strongly believe that Israel will benefit by having a Palestinian state, a democracy on her border that works for peace."

Turning to Olmert, he said: "I want to thank you for the friendship, and thank you for your vision. And I just want you to know that I believe that vision is alive."

Olmert said, "A two-state solution is the only possible way to resolve the conflict in the Middle East."

A year ago, to great fanfare, Bush announced the resumption of peace talks, after a seven-year hiatus, at a Mideast summit hosted in Annapolis, Md. Summit participants set an ambitious target of concluding a final peace deal by the end of 2008.

Despite frequent negotiating sessions, Olmert and the Palestinian president, Mahmoud Abbas, have little to show for their efforts and seem no closer to a peace agreement than they were before the summit.

"It was then, and remains now, an illusion," said Aaron David Miller, a former adviser to both Republican and Democratic secretaries of state. "A conflict-ending agreement is still beyond reach - you have big gaps, weak leaders and political constraints on both sides."

Bush invited Olmert to Washington as part of his final round of talks with world leaders before he leaves office Jan. 20. Olmert, who in September announced plans to resign amid corruption charges, will step down after a successor is chosen Feb. 10.

Olmert has become increasingly candid of late, saying Israel will have to withdraw from almost all of the West Bank and parts of east Jerusalem to make peace with the Palestinians. But he has come under fire for waiting until the end of his term to say so and to act on his words.

Bush also has been criticized for taking a hands-off approach to Mideast peacemaking until the final push late into his tenure, especially in comparison with the active mediation of his predecessor, President Bill Clinton.