The White House confirmed Tuesday that President George W. Bush will travel to the Middle East for a nine-day visit next month. The itinerary includes a stop in Jerusalem for meetings with President Shimon Peres and Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, as well as a visit to Ramallah to meet with Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas and PA Prime Minister and Finance Minister Salam Fayyad. President Bush will also travel to Bahrain, Egypt, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

White House press secretary Dana Perino said in a statement, "This visit will follow up on the progress made at Annapolis in helping Israelis and Palestinians to advance their efforts toward peace, and achievement of the president's vision of two democratic states living side by side in peace and security, as well as encourage Israeli-Arab reconciliation.

"The trip will also be an opportunity to reaffirm the enduring commitment of the United States to the security of our allies in the Middle East, especially with the Gulf nations, and our close work with them to combat terrorism and extremism, promote freedom and seek peace and prosperity in the region," she said.