Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas arrived in Washington yesterday ahead of a conference to be held in nearby Annapolis this week that US President George W. Bush hopes will relaunch peace negotiations with Israel.

?We consider the Annapolis conference a launching pad for final status negotiations that will lead to the realization of the Palestinian people's dream of establishing a Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital,? Abbas aide Nabil Abu Rdainah told Reuters after the president's arrival.

The conference in Annapolis, Maryland tomorrow is meant to re-launch talks on Palestinian statehood after the last round of peace talks collapsed seven years ago.

But Israeli and Palestinian negotiators have struggled to agree on a joint policy document ahead of the meeting and it is unclear how far the conference will go in addressing core issues such as borders, Jerusalem and refugees.

Israeli and Palestinian negotiators are due to hold further discussions in Washington on Sunday to try to reach agreement on a joint document to be presented at the conference, Abu Rdainah said.