Bush to call for int'l Mideast peace conference, pledge new aid to Abbas

US President George W. Bush will call for an international conference later this year to include Israel and some of its Arab neighbors to help restart Mideast peace talks and will pledge increased aid to the Palestinian government of President Mahmoud Abbas, The Associated Press has learned.

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice would lead the peace conference, which would include representatives of Israel and "neighbors in the region," said a senior administration official. (AP)