Bush likely to return to Mideast in final year

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - U.S. President George W. Bush, who made his first trip to Israel and the West Bank this week during seven years in office, will likely return before leaving office in January 2009, a senior official said on Thursday.

"Do I think he'll come back to Israel? Yes," Stephen Hadley, White House national security adviser, said.

Bush has taken a more hands-on approach to Middle East peacemaking by holding a summit in Annapolis, Maryland, and making this trip to press Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to move forward in final-status negotiations.

"The president has indicated that he wants to do what can be useful to advancing the negotiating process," Hadley said.

"If that involves further visits to the region, he is prepared to do that.

"I think you can expect you will see him again, at least once and maybe more times, in the region before his term is up."

Israel has invited Bush to return in May to attend celebrations marking the Jewish state's 60th anniversary.

(Reporting by Tabassum Zakaria, Editing by Robert Woodward)