Bush told moderate Arab leaders at the summit at this Red Sea resort that he believed "the Almighty God has endowed each individual on the face of the earth, expecting each person to be treated with dignity.

"This is a universal call, it is a call of all religions -- each person must be free and treated with respect," he said, after declaring that he meant what he said by pledging to work for Palestinian state.

"It's with that call that I feel passionate about the need to move forward so that the world can be more peaceful, more free and more hopeful.

"Tomorrow, we have got important meetings as well. This is the beginning of a process; we all of us must not allow the few to destroy the hopes of the many. May God bless our work."

Minutes earlier, in the conference room hosting the summit, Bush said "it is the beginning of a long process and a tough process, but no matter how difficult it is, you have my commitment that I will expend the energy and effort necessary to move the process forward."

Tuesday's summit here gathered Abbas, Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, Crown Prince Abdullah of Saudi Arabia, King Abdullah II of Jordan and King Hamad of Bahrain.

Bush will meet with Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and his Palestinian counterpat, Mahmud Abbas, at a separate summit in Aqaba, Jordan on Wednesday.

WAR.WIRE