US President George W Bush is due in Jerusalem on a landmark visit to the region to help kick-start peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians.Ahead of his arrival Palestinian and Israeli leaders agreed to begin tackling core issues dividing them. Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas and Israeli PM Ehud Olmert vowed at a US summit last year to try to achieve a two-state solution by the end of 2008.
It is Mr Bush's first visit to Israel and the West Bank since taking office. In a meeting on Tuesday, Mr Abbas and Mr Olmert authorised their negotiators to begin discussing "final-status" issues of the borders of a future Palestinian state and the status of Jerusalem.
After holding talks with Mr Olmert and Israeli President Shimon Peres in Jerusalem on Wednesday, Mr Bush will go to the West Bank to meet Mr Abbas. He also plans to visit the Church of the Nativity in the West Bank town of Bethlehem before making stops in Kuwait, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Egypt.
Wednesday, 9 January 2008. 15:03.p.m
