ANNAPOLIS, Maryland—President Bush opens a high-stakes Israeli-Palestinian peace conference Tuesday cautioning that the path begun will be difficult but that the "time is right" to try.
Bush, in remarks prepared for delivery to diplomats from more than 40 countries gathered at the U.S. Naval Academy, said the purpose at the Annapolis conference was not to conclude an accord but to launch negotiations between the Israelis and Palestinians.
"The task begun here at Annapolis will be difficult," Bush said in the remarks released in advance by the White House. "This is the beginning of the process, not the end of it, and much work remains to be done."
Finally embracing a hands-on approach he disdained after his predecessor Bill Clinton failed to broker a deal in the twilight of his presidency, Bush is hosting the most ambitious round of international Middle East diplomacy in seven years.
With only 14 months left in office, Bush has faced criticism for not having done more on the effort.
In his speech, he argued that now was the time to pursue an agreement because Palestinians and Israelis had leaders determined to achieve peace and because "we must not cede victory to the extremists" in the Middle East.
"The time is right, the cause is just, and with hard effort, I know they can succeed," Bush said.
The talks are aimed at jump-starting negotiations for creating a Palestinian state. But no one expects a swift breakthrough between the two sides, led by Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.
Bush signaled the United States would not try to impose an agreement on the parties, saying "our job is to encourage the parties in this effort—and to give them the support they need to succeed."
In Gaza, which is controlled by Hamas Islamists who oppose the meeting, tens of thousands joined an anti-Annapolis rally chanting "Abbas is a traitor" and "Death to Israel, death to America."
Security forces in Ramallah, Abbas's West Bank stronghold, dispersed crowds after scuffles at a protest there.
Like the United States, many participants are driven by the desire to offset the growing influence of non-Arab Iran -- an opponent of peace with the Jewish state. Tehran said on Tuesday it had built a new long-range missile. The weapon matches the range of another Iranian missile that can hit Israel.
Bush's speech at the U.S. Naval Academy, sandwiched between his talks with Olmert and Abbas, will be the centerpiece of his most direct role in Middle East peacemaking.
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