Bush visit

President Bush will visit the Middle East in early January as he presses the Israelis and the Palestinians to restart moribund peace talks, the White House said yesterday.

White House spokesman Gordon Johndroe would not release any details of Bush's itinerary. However, an Israeli television station said the president would visit Israel.

Last week, Bush played host to a high-profile Middle East peace conference in Annapolis, where Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas told international backers and skeptical Arab neighbors that they were ready to resume bargaining toward achieving an independent Palestinian homeland.

[Associated Press]