WASHINGTON, Jan. 10 (UPI) -- President George Bush Monday told reporters he would welcome Palestinian President-elect Minister Mahmoud Abbas for a White House visit.
"I look forward to welcoming him here to Washington if he chooses to come here," Bush said after congratulating Abbas on his victory.
"This is a man who has been elected by what appears to be a good-sized vote," he said. "I'm heartened by the elections."
Bush said an upcoming conference in London would help reach the prime minister's vision of a "peaceful, active, vibrant state."
To move forward on a peace agreement between Israel and the Palestinians, Abu Mazen would need to build political institutions, while Israel needed to live up to Prime Minister Arial Sharon's promise to withdraw from certain Palestinian territories.
