American President George W. Bush personally telephoned Saudi Arabian King Abdullah this week in an effort persuade his country to attend the Annapolis conference next week and send a senior official. The Bush administration has invited 40 countries to the event, whose outcome is unknown.
Saudi Arabia's sitting down at the same table with an Israeli diplomat would be a rare occurrence. Prince Bandar bin Sultan, former Saudi ambassador to the United States, attended a peace conference in Madrid in the fall of 1991 as an observer but was not a formal participant.