EXPECTATIONS LOW
Despite Bush's insistence on a renewed U.S. commitment and a call for stepped-up international support for the peace process, expectations were low for major strides in the three days of meetings that started at the White House on Monday.
Bush, Olmert and Abbas all face serious problems at home.
Abbas lost control of the Gaza Strip in June to Hamas Islamists, whose leader in the enclave denounced Annapolis as a "festival" to bolster the "Zionist enemy" and said any concessions made by Abbas would not be binding for Palestinians.
Olmert is unpopular and faces opposition to concessions from members of his coalition. Some critics suggest he is using peace talks to fend off a critical public inquiry and graft probes. Bush, politically hobbled by the Iraq war, leaves office in January 2009. The campaign to succeed him is in full swing.
In a reminder of violence that has gone on for decades, Israeli troops killed two Palestinian militants in Gaza on Tuesday. Gaza medical staff said a civilian was also killed.
The sides were still haggling on Monday evening over a joint document, though officials said they were close to agreement.
The document is meant to chart the course for negotiating the toughest "final status" issues of the conflict -- Jerusalem, borders, security and the fate of Palestinian refugees.
At Annapolis, the two sides are also expected to recommit to a 2003 "road map" that calls for a freeze of Jewish settlement activity in the West Bank occupied by Israel since a 1967 war as well as a crackdown by Palestinians on their militants.
In his address, Abbas was expected to urge an immediate start to follow-up negotiations on these "final-status" issues.
Palestinian officials and U.S. diplomats have said in recent weeks that Russia, a member of the Quartet of Middle East mediators, may host a follow-up to Annapolis in three months.
Discussion of such meetings has been prompted by efforts to reconcile Palestinian demands for a deadline for concluding a deal with Israeli rejection of fixed timetables.
Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal was quoted as saying before his arrival in Annapolis that Washington had promised a one-year deadline for negotiation. U.S., Israeli and Palestinian officials have said only that they hope a deal can be concluded before Bush steps down.
