Visiting U.S. President George W. Bush on Thursday called on Arab states to reach out to Israel, saying that such a step was long overdue.
"I call upon the Arab countries to reach out to Israel – a step that is long overdue," Bush told reporters to summarize his two days of talks with Israeli and Palestinian leaders.
By now in the Arab world, only Egypt and Jordan recognize Israel and have diplomatic ties with the Jewish state. While the Arab nations, including regional heavyweight Saudi Arabia, have refused to recognize Israel.
Bush, who arrived in Tel Aviv on Wednesday noon to start an eight-day regional tour, is visiting Israel and the Palestinian territories for the first time since he took office in 2000.
His visit was partly aimed at advancing the peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians in the wake of the Annapolis peace conference in November last year.
At the peace conference, Israel and the Palestinians had pledged to strive for a final-status agreement before the end of2008. But talks between the two sides have been low-key with no tangible progress.
Source:Xinhua
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