US President George W. Bush and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert on Tuesday sought to bolster Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, calling him a moderate voice and the only true leader of the Palestinian people.

Bush and Olmert, in a meeting at the White House, both spoke positively of the prospects for new meetings between Abbas and the Israelis.

"I'm going to make every possible effort to cooperate with him," the prime minister said. Bush called Abbas "the president of all the Palestinians" and "a voice for moderation".

Bush and Olmert met in the aftermath of turmoil that left Abbas, a Western-backed moderate, in control of one Palestinian government in the West Bank and his Islamist rival Hamas in control of the separate Gaza Strip. "Like you, I want to strengthen the moderates," Olmert said. He said it was vital to strengthen security for Israel.

"Our hope is that President Abbas and Prime Minister (Salam) Fayyyad - who's a good fellow - will be strengthened to the point where they can lead the Palestinians in a different direction," Bush said.

Olmert said he will be talking to Abbas but spoke of several prerequisites for progress towards peace.

They included a much more responsive Palestinian government and increased security efforts, Olmert said.

Bush said Hamas attacked the unity government. "They made the choice of violence," Bush said. He said that Abbas was "a voice that is a reasonable voice amongst the extremists in your neighborhood."

The United States and European Union moved quickly to shore up Abbas. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on Monday announced an end to an economic and political embargo on the Palestinians.

Israel has seemed likely to free up millions in tax revenue it collects on behalf of the Palestinians, assuming it could ensure that the money flowed only to Abbas' operation in the West Bank.

Rice was to brief members of Congress Tuesday about the Bush administration's decision to restart the flow of aid to Abbas' government. The United States, more than a year ago, withheld money for fear it would benefit Hamas radicals governing alongside him.

(China Daily via agencies June 20, 2007 )